Sky beefs up high-definition offering

by Fiona Ramsay, Media Week 27-Feb-08, 15:15

LONDON - Sky is adding a trio of high-definition TV channels to its platform, taking its HD portfolio to 17 channels.

In the coming weeks, Sky Sports HD 3, Sky Movies Premiere HD and FX HD will be added to the HD service, which has signed up more than 400,000 customers since its launch in May 2006.

Sky Sports HD 3 will showcase a range of sports content including World Wrestling Entertainment, starting with Monday Night Raw on 17 March, and the PGA European Golf Tour, starting with live coverage of the Andalucia Open on 23 March.

The channel will include a mix of coverage from Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports Xtra.

FX HD will be a bespoke channel, specially created for Sky’s HD service. It will broadcast between 7pm and 2am every day, with at least 90 per cent of the schedule originated in HD.

Sky Movies Premiere HD will join Sky Movies Screen 1 HD and Screen 2 HD, and will replicate the standard definition channel to build upon the 220 movies already broadcast in HD each month. Upcoming premieres include Blood Diamond (pictured), Mr Bean's Holiday, Flags Of Our Fathers, Fracture, Babel, and Ghost Rider.

Stephen van Rooyen, Sky’s director of product management, said that once the channels launch, HD subscribers will be able to access more than 6,500 hours of HD programming each month.