Sky invests millions in kids push

European giant Sky has revealed a “multimillion-pound” investment in children’s programming and a six-fold increase in the number of episodes it offers, following deals with BBC Worldwide (BBCWW), Turner and Viacom.

Dora the Explorer will move to a dedicated kids area

Sky in the UK will offer around 4,000 episodes of kids’ shows, up from 700, with series such as Adventure Time, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom and iCarly all becoming available.

Shows will be available via a dedicated channel tab being introduced on Sky’s EPG, providing access to The Octonauts, SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Horrible Histories and Ben 10.

Sky hopes the deals will make it “a leading destination for kids’ TV on demand” with the “huge increase in shows available at no extra cost to customers with Variety and Family bundles.”

The additions come after deals with DHX Media and Zodiak Media, as well as global players BBCWW, Viacom and Turner.

Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky’s brand director of TV products, said the service would provide parents with “the convenience of a quick and simple way to access lots of episodes all in one place.”

In related news, the company has launched its Roku-powered Sky Online TV Box in Italy, a move reported by C21 following CEO Jeremy Darroch’s speech at MipTV last month.

The OTT service, which launched in the UK in 2013 and Germany last year, allows viewers to watch Sky channels and on-demand content without a contract.