Sky CEO Dana Strong
Provided by Comcast
Dana Strong, CEO of Comcast Corp.'s European pay-TV, media and telecoms giant Sky, said at a conference in London on Tuesday that the company is committed to securing long-term sports rights for the benefit of sports content.
Speaking at Deloitte's Media & Telecom 2024 and Beyond conference, she was asked about Sky's sports strategy. “I'm pretty passionate about sport,” she said, adding that Sky has “exceptional strengths” in this area.
About 18 to 24 months ago, “we decided to get serious about betting on sports and investing for the long term,” Strong said. That helped build a “strategic bulwark” around sports, he said. “Sports is important because it's resilient,” he added. That's more important than other forms of linear TV. It's important to consumers and communities, he added.
“We have a very sophisticated monetization system for sports,” including pay-TV and streaming, Strong argued. “Sky wants to be culturally relevant and part of the moment,” he added. Sky's CEO revealed that sports viewership has grown 17 percent in the past year, with more female and younger viewers, which he attributes to a larger strategy of “growing the fanbase.”
Discussing Sky's content strategy, which includes originals, acquisitions and licensing, Strong said the focus is on ensuring value for consumers. Originals include upcoming releases such as Day of the Jackalwhich could encourage people to subscribe to Sky's regular programming, Gangs of Londoncontent that will keep consumers engaged and bring them back, and “content that will surprise people,” e.g. The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Mary and George. Tattoo Artist Strong said the ratings for the first episode were higher than those for the first episode of “Succession” Season 4.
Regarding the future of Warner Bros. Discovery's content deal with Sky, with WBD considering launching Max in the UK when the companies' current production deal ends at the end of 2025, Strong said the company's content would continue to be available on Sky in some form “no matter what scenario.”
Late last year, Strong expressed optimism that Sky could continue in its role as home to HBO and Max in the UK and was bullish on opportunities in Germany. His comments came after repeated market rumors about the possible sale of the company's German division, Sky Germany, and discussions about WBD's future strategy.
Earlier this year, Sky Studios CEO and Sky chief content officer Cécile Flot-Couta praised the company's continued focus on original content under Comcast. “2024 is the year we'll really see the fruits of our investment,” Flot-Couta said, touting the “level of ambition.” “Now we're really starting to see the fruits of that, and that's across all genres.”
