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Mike_DarceyMike Darcey, BSkyB’s COO, claims there is a growing sense of disillusionment amongst the UK’s free-to-air network broadcasters. Speaking at the IEA annual conference on The Future of Broadcasting, he said the ‘free to view’ TV model is increasingly seen as being difficult to monetise. Darcey also highlighted a sense of excitement over 3D TV.
Darcey outlined what he said were the “critical factors” in sustaining success in paid-for TV “irrespective of market intrusion by regulators.” With 21 years of broadcasting under its belt, Darcey said that while sport was important for many viewers, “there are many people for whom Sky Sports is not the only factor in their decision to subscribe. And, for some, it is not even a factor at all. The reality is that millions of Sky homes happily subscribe for content other than our sports and movies channels.”
Darcey told delegates that Sky’s Arts channels are now reaching around 2m viewers a month, and that Sky is further investing in channels such as Sky Sport News so that it would further grow as the home of quality sports journalism in the UK. He cited Sky research in which 9 out of 10 Sky customers stated that Sky Arts offered programming not available anywhere else [on TV].
He also highlighted Sky’s commitment to 3D, and said “we get the sense that 3D is heading for something special”. “Now some people are not convinced about 3D, believing it to be a passing fad, a bit of a gimmick. That’s fair enough, and they are entitled to their view. But I suspect that they are roughly the same industry sages who were questioning the significance of HD in the not too distant past.”
Darcey promised that Sky would soon be carrying 50 high-def channels while terrestrial TV would offer less than a handful.
Darcey also confirmed that Sky Sports subscribers would from June be able to receive transmissions on a wide range of other devices (PC, MAC, 3G phones, iPAD, iPhone and Xbox).
Darcey outlined what he said were the “critical factors” in sustaining success in paid-for TV “irrespective of market intrusion by regulators.” With 21 years of broadcasting under its belt, Darcey said that while sport was important for many viewers, “there are many people for whom Sky Sports is not the only factor in their decision to subscribe. And, for some, it is not even a factor at all. The reality is that millions of Sky homes happily subscribe for content other than our sports and movies channels.”
Darcey told delegates that Sky’s Arts channels are now reaching around 2m viewers a month, and that Sky is further investing in channels such as Sky Sport News so that it would further grow as the home of quality sports journalism in the UK. He cited Sky research in which 9 out of 10 Sky customers stated that Sky Arts offered programming not available anywhere else [on TV].
He also highlighted Sky’s commitment to 3D, and said “we get the sense that 3D is heading for something special”. “Now some people are not convinced about 3D, believing it to be a passing fad, a bit of a gimmick. That’s fair enough, and they are entitled to their view. But I suspect that they are roughly the same industry sages who were questioning the significance of HD in the not too distant past.”
Darcey promised that Sky would soon be carrying 50 high-def channels while terrestrial TV would offer less than a handful.
Darcey also confirmed that Sky Sports subscribers would from June be able to receive transmissions on a wide range of other devices (PC, MAC, 3G phones, iPAD, iPhone and Xbox).