Comcast and ViacomCBS win EU approval for SkyShowtime Streaming Venture

The two companies said Wednesday that Comcast and Viacom CBS have received “full regulatory approval” to form a European joint venture to broadcast SkyShowtime.

The two companies signed a deal in August to launch a new video-on-demand service for subscription in more than 20 European regions, including Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland. this year. The regions include 90 million homes.

Earlier this year, the two partners appointed Monty Sarhan as CEO of the broadcasting company. The CEO, who joined Comcast Cable in late 2019 as the vice president of content acquisition after working at Epix, also has experience with Viacom. Based in London, he reports to the SkyShowtime board of directors, which uses the trademarks of Comcast’s European pay-TV giant Sky and ViacomCBS’s Showtime.

Other members of the SkyShowtime leadership team will be announced “in due course,” according to company memos shared with employees at the time.

“We are delighted that SkyShowtime has received all regulatory approvals and are excited to offer this new, unique and engaging entertainment service – featuring a diverse selection of some of the world’s leading content – ​​to millions of consumers in these markets,” Sarhan said on Wednesday. .

More details about SkyShowtime, including pricing, will be announced at a later date.

SkyShowtime will eventually be available in the following markets: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.

“SkyShowtime’s massive offering will span 10,000 hours of content across all genres and audiences, including scripted dramas, kids and family, major franchises, premieres, local programming, documentaries/actual content and more,” said the project partners.

Sky Group CEO Dana Strong described SkyShowtime in 2021, saying it would “combine the best of the United States and Europe with iconic brands and world-class entertainment for millions of consumers,” providing more than 10,000 hours of entertainment.