Hearst and Sky renew broadcast partnership

Hearst Networks UK and Sky have renewed their long-term broadcasting partnership, including jointly run flagship channel Sky History. 

Under the re-upped deal, Hearst Networks channels Sky History, Sky History2, Crime+Investigation, and Blaze, will continue to air across Sky’s network and Now platform in the UK and Ireland.  

The carriage deal spans linear channel distribution, video-on-demand, and an extension of the media sales relationship with Sky Media, Sky’s advertising arm, which will see it represent Hearst’s advertising sales. 

Sky and Heart Networks EMEA’s continued partnership is underpinned by the companies’ co-ownership of Hearst Networks UK, of which joint venture Sky History is the key brand.  

Sky History was rebranded to its current moniker in 2020, aiming to give it greater weight within the UK and Ireland market. The network has since yielded a regular flow of productions, particularly in the documentary and docudrama space, with notable titles including Royal Bastards: Rise of the Tudors, The Royal Kill List, and debut drama Gunpowder Siege.  

The channel has also been the home of US import The Curse of Oak Island, and local originals such as Ross Kemp: Mafia and Britain and Royal Autopsy. 

Elsewhere, Crime+Investigation has grown its slate of true crime series like The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Body In The Suitcase, Murders at Little Bridge Farm, and Crimes That Shook Britain, while simultaneously growing its short-form output with Cut to the Crime and Unbreakable. 

Dean Possenniskie, managing director, UK and EMEA at Hearst Networks, said: “We value Sky’s continued investment in our brands, and we are excited to build on the outstanding success of Sky History while growing the prominence of Crime+Investigation on Sky.” 

Jon Simkin, Sky’s managing director of content partnerships, said: “We’re thrilled to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Hearst Networks, continuing to sell their advertising and deliver their distinctive content to our customers. Hearst Networks’ market-leading history and true-crime shows perfectly complement our entertainment portfolio, which includes Sky originals like Day of the Jackal.”