Archive notice: This article was originally published on March 13, 2007. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Premiere is expanding its existing programming offering: from September 1, 2007, a new package under the “Premiere Sky” brand is to supplement the previous portfolio of offerings. With Premiere Sky, Premiere will for the first time launch a pay-TV offering that is initially distributed exclusively by satellite. Under the Premiere Sky umbrella, existing and new pay-TV channels in particular are to be bundled that have so far not found a powerful partner for marketing via satellite. The provider of Premiere Sky will be the new Premiere Sky GmbH, a wholly owned Premiere subsidiary. Wolfram Winter has been appointed Managing Director of Premiere Sky GmbH. Until the end of 2006, he was Managing Director of NBC Universal Global Networks Germany.
“Today we see a large number of existing and planned digital TV channels looking for a strong marketing partner – especially via satellite”, explains Premiere Chief Executive Georg Kofler. Premiere would offer these channels “by far the most powerful” pay-TV marketing at the national level. Through Premiere, Premiere Sky’s TV channels receive direct access to 1.7 million satellite subscription households. For these customers, one phone call is enough to activate Premiere Sky within a few seconds; subscribers need neither a new receiver nor a new smartcard. “Premiere Sky will strengthen diversity in the digital pay-TV market”, Kofler predicts: “The competition between the satellite, cable and DSL reception paths will also receive new impetus.”
According to the channel, Premiere Sky focuses not on exclusivity but on diversity. With this positioning, Premiere Sky is intended to appeal both to Premiere subscribers and to new customer groups. According to the operator, Premiere Sky can be received via satellite by 16.7 million TV households in Germany and 1.8 million TV households in Austria. Premiere Sky GmbH will have its headquarters in Unterföhring.
