Sky Media, the advertising arm of Sky, today announced a major step forward in its programmatic strategy, enabling advertisers to access premium video on demand (VOD) inventory via Google Display & Video 360 (DV360).
Following a successful pilot, Sky Media will offer programmatic access to broadcast quality VOD across its own platforms and channels, as well as inventory from its broad portfolio of Media Partners. Discovery, through DV360. With Sky Media representing more than 31% of ad supported TV viewing in the UK, this development is a major step in simplifying how TV advertising is planned and activated within the connected TV (CTV) ecosystem.
The integration creates a new route to market for advertisers looking to combine the scale and impact of premium TV content with the flexibility, transparency and control of digital buying. Advertisers can plan and execute campaigns alongside wider digital activity, benefiting from real time reporting, transparent reach and frequency, and greater visibility over performance and cost management.
This deal builds on Sky Media’s existing relationship with DV360, which is already live across Sky’s sites, apps and YouTube offering, where Sky is the UK’s largest reseller of premium inventory.
Sky Media ad opportunities will be enhanced with age, gender and demographic targeting, supported by rich addressable capabilities using proprietary customer data. Additional third party data integrations are on the roadmap for later this year.
Through the integration, Sky Media is expanding access to one of the UK’s largest VOD portfolios, spanning award winning entertainment, acclaimed drama, live sport and trusted news. As well as being home to the broadest range of live sport in the UK – including Premier League football and Formula 1 – the portfolio includes Sky News, the UK’s leading commercial news broadcaster.
Across Sky Atlantic, Sky One, and NOW, audiences can stream thousands of hours of premium scripted and unscripted programming, from HBO and Showtime to Sky Originals such as Under The Salt Marsh, The Day of the Jackal and Brassic. The slate continues to grow, with major new moments ahead, including the upcoming UK launch of Saturday Night Live.
By making this breadth of high quality, brand safe content programmatically accessible through DV360, Sky Media brings together the scale, attention and cultural relevance of premium TV with the precision and accountability of digital activation.
The proposition has already been adopted by agencies operating digital first buying strategies, including Brainlabs, demonstrating how programmatic access to premium TV can unlock incremental reach and complement existing broadcaster activity.
Pippa Scaife, Director of Digital Advertising at Sky Media, said:
“As viewing habits continue to evolve, our focus is on making Sky Media’s premium inventory as accessible as possible. Enabling programmatic buying through DV360 gives advertisers greater choice in how they buy TV, alongside increased transparency, control and flexibility. This launch reflects the continued convergence of TV and digital, where brands want the impact of premium content with the ease and accountability of digital channels.”
Alex Glover, Managing Director of Programmatic at Brainlabs, said:
“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. For too long, there’s been a frustrating disconnect between the cultural impact of premium TV and the precision of digital—but this integration really helps bridge that gap. Being the first to test this with Sky Media has been a standout milestone for us, and the results from our pilot with the team at Which? have already proven the value. We’ve seen firsthand how Sky’s inventory delivers that crucial incremental reach to our other elements of the plan – and in DV360, you can now see how they all work together to do this! This is the agile, accountable future of TV that we’ve been advocating for, and it’s a massive win for advertisers who want their media to work harder and smarter across every screen.”
The new buying option is available now to advertisers buying through Google DV360.