STV Player to launch on Sky for first time

Scottish commercial broadcaster STV has struck a new five-year strategic partnership with pay TV operator Sky that will give Sky customers in Scotland access to STV’s regional variants in full HD, as well as STV’s leading VOD service – STV Player – on their set top boxes for the first time.

The deal will enable Sky customers in STV’s franchise area of Scotland to view catch-up content including Coronation Street and Britain’s Got Talent alongside STV archive shows on Sky Q and Sky+ set-top boxes, mobile devices and for offline viewing. STV Player will be available on the Sky service from the second half of this year.

All four STV regions will launch in HD to create what Sky describes as the first full regionalised HD service from a public service broadcaster on the platform, giving Sky customers across STV’s areas of Scotland access to regional STV programming including STV News at Six. The new HD variants are expected to launch in the first half of this year.

STV Player is already available on Sky’s low-cost OTT TV service Now TV. The new agreement will support future functionality such as cloud recording and restart.

Simon Pitts, CEO of STV, said: “We’re delighted to be strengthening our partnership with Sky, which will give Sky viewers across Scotland even better access to STV’s hit shows whenever and wherever they want them.”

Stephen van Rooyen, CEO UK & Ireland, Sky, said: “This partnership with STV will bring even more great content to Sky customers across Scotland, as well as enabling us to collaborate and launch the first fully regionalised HD service from a public service broadcaster.”