Sky Stays Committed to 'Business as Usual' Despite HBO Max Launching in the U.K. Next Year: 'Prioritizing Consistency in an Unpredictable Market'

Sky, which currently holds exclusive rights to popular HBO series like "Succession" and "Game of Thrones" in the UK, is preparing for changes with the upcoming launch of the HBO Max streaming service next year. However, during a panel at Content London on Wednesday, Meghan Lyvers, Sky's executive director of scripted originals, reassured that the company's strategy will remain unchanged. "What we've observed is that the majority of high-performing titles on Sky are Sky Originals, which our audiences have responded to positively. This is a great advantage for us," Lyvers explained. "Our mantra is simple: business as usual. We'll continue with our strategy, producing and delivering the same quality content we've been creating for the past few years."

Lyvers emphasized that the company remains focused on consistency, particularly in an unpredictable and rapidly changing market. She also noted that Sky aims to increase production, planning to release two major series annually instead of one. "It's a significant challenge, considering the scale of these projects, but we're making progress and will share more updates early next year," she said.

Even with HBO Max's arrival in the UK, Sky will retain access to HBO content under an expanded agreement announced last year. This ensures that customers can continue watching HBO's popular titles for free on Sky, even though HBO Max will no longer be the exclusive platform. Lyvers is optimistic about the impact of a new platform in the market, stating that competition helps raise the standard of storytelling. "When everyone is producing high-quality content, it pushes the entire industry toward excellence," she said. "The UK has been producing exceptional content recently, and the launch of HBO Max here will only add to that." She also assured that HBO content will still be available for free on Sky's platform when HBO Max arrives in spring 2024, and Sky will remain focused on delivering exceptional content to its viewers.

Author: Connor Blake