ViacomCBS and Sky Italia extend distribution deal to 12 channels

Raffaele Annecchino

ViacomCBS and Sky Italia have announced a multi-year extension of their deal in Italy.

The arrangement will see Paramount Network, Spike and VH1 added to Sky, bringing the total number of ViacomCBS-branded channels on Sky platforms in Italy to 12. This includes localised versions of MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr, Comedy Central and Italian kids’ channel Super! (of which Viacom took full control in October 2019).

The companies have also announced that Sky will be the exclusive seller of ViacomCBS channels and digital advertising in Italy from February 2. A statement from the companies said that this builds on a “long-standing and successful relationship” between ViacomCBS and Sky.

Raffaele Annecchino, president of ViacomCBS networks southern and Western Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “With Sky as our main distributor and ad sales partner, we can sustain our strong position in the Italian market in the long-term and deliver additional benefits for our viewers and advertisers, including content synergies and wider distribution across multiple platforms. Our new commercial agreement with Sky Media represents an opportunity to effectively support our business and brands over the next years in Italy, which remains one of the most important and valuable markets in which we operate.”

Giovanni Ciarlariello, chief media digital and data officer for Sky Italia said: “This strengthened deal with ViacomCBS Networks will give even more investment opportunities to our customers and confirms Sky Media’s role as a key player in the market as well as the high quality of its innovative services”.