Italian satellite pay-television platform
Sky Italia S.r.l. is an Italian satellite television platform owned by the American media conglomerate Comcast. Sky Italia also broadcasts three national free-to-air television channels: TV8, Cielo and Sky TG24. As of 2018, following an agreement with Mediaset, Sky Italia also operates a series of subscription-based terrestrial channels offering sports, entertainment, and movies. Sky Italia is also the major sports broadcaster in Italy.
Pay TV services on Sky Italia satellite platform are encrypted in NDS VideoGuard.
History
Sky Italia was founded on 31 July 2003 by the merger of TELE+ and Stream TV.[2]
Sky Italia uses the Hot Bird 13B satellite at 13.0°E.
On 28 June 2010, Sky Italia changed its brands and logos, making them identical to the BSkyB ones.
On 1 October 2010, Sky activated its first 3D channel, Sky Sport 3D, available without any extra cost to the Sport pack subscribers. The very first event Sky Sport 3D aired was the 2010 Ryder Cup. On 25 December 2010, Sky launched another 3D channel: Sky Cinema 3D, airing 3D movies, available for free for Cinema pack subscribers. These channels have been replaced by Sky 3D on 6 September 2011, then closed on 16 January 2018.
Tom Mockridge, the then head of Sky Italia replaced Rebekah Brooks as chief executive of News International after she had resigned on 15 July 2011.[3]
Andrea Zappia replaced Tom Mockridge as CEO on 1 August 2011.[4] On 7 October 2011 Sky Italia announced it reached the 5 million subscribers benchmark.
Following News Corporation's split into two on 28 June 2013, to create two separate companies, 21st Century Fox (the re-branded News Corporation), and the spin-off company New News Corp, the 100% stake held by News Corporation in Sky Italia was retained by the re-branded 21st Century Fox.
Following media speculation, on 12 May 2014 Sky Italia's sister company, BSkyB, confirmed that it was in talks with its largest shareholder, 21st Century Fox, about acquiring 21st Century Fox's 57.4% stake in Sky Deutschland and its 100% stake in Sky Italia. The enlarged company would be likely to be called "Sky Europe" and it will consolidate 21st Century Fox's European digital TV assets into one company.[5][6] The sale was announced on 25 July 2014 which was subject to regulatory and shareholder approval.[7] The acquisition was completed on 13 November.[8]
In 2016, Sky Italia created Vision Distribution, a film distribution venture with five Italian production companies: Wildside (owned by Fremantle), Cattleya (backed by ITV Studios), Lucisano Media Group, Palomar and Indiana Production. Since the beginning of August 2019, Universal Pictures, Sky's corporate cousin via NBCUniversal, handles theatrical distribution for Vision's releases in Italy.[9] On 20 January 2020, Vision launched their own international sales arm, Vision Distribution International.[1]
Since October 2018, Sky Italia, as well as Sky UK, Sky Ireland and Sky Deutschland, is controlled by Comcast.
On 1 October 2019, Maximo Ibarra replaces Andrea Zappia as CEO. Maximo Ibarra however left Sky Italia already on 30 June 2021.
On 16 June 2020, Sky Italia launched Sky Wifi, its ultra-broadband service.
On 6 September 2021 Andrea Duilio Started as the new CEO of Sky Italia.
Sky HD and 4K HDR
Sky HD is the brand name of the HDTV service launched by Sky Italia on 20 April 2006 in Italy – during the 2006 FIFA World Cup – to enable high definition channels on Sky Italia to be viewed. The service requires the user to have a Sky Box HD (distributed by Sky Italia), and a HDTV with HDCP enabled.
A HD PVR decoder called My Sky HD was launched on 26 May 2008 (on 20 December 2008 was sold a particular edition designed by Fendi in favour of the international organisation Child Priority).
On 29 November 2017, Sky launched Sky Q Platinum, a set-top box enabled to view programmes in 4K HDR and to use the multiscreen wireless service.
On 2 July 2018, Sky launched Sky Q Black, a set-top box identical to the Sky Q Platinum which enables the 4K HDR service but not the multiscreen wireless.
Here are the channels available in HD:
| TV
|
31 channels
|
Sky TG24 HD, Rete 4 HD, Canale 5 HD, Italia 1 HD, Sky Uno HD, Sky Uno +1 HD, Sky Serie HD, Sky Serie +1 HD, Sky Atlantic HD, Sky Atlantic +1 HD, Sky Investigation HD, Crime+Investigation HD, Sky Arte HD, TV8 HD, Blaze HD, MTV HD, Classica HD, NOVE HD, 20 Mediaset HD, Cielo HD, 27 Twentyseven HD, Real Time HD, Giallo HD, DMAX HD, Eurosport 1 HD, Eurosport 2 HD, Horse TV HD, Gambero Rosso Channel HD, Food Network HD, Sky Nature HD, Sky Documentaries HD, Discovery Channel HD, Discovery Science HD, History HD, Motor Trend HD
|
| Cinema
|
11 channels
|
Sky Cinema Uno HD, Sky Cinema Due HD, Sky Cinema Collection HD, Sky Cinema Family HD, Sky Cinema Action HD, Sky Cinema Suspense HD, Sky Cinema Romance HD, Sky Cinema Drama HD, Sky Cinema Comedy HD, Sky Cinema Uno +24 HD, Sky Cinema Due +24 HD
|
| Sport
|
10 channels
|
Sky Sport 24 HD, Sky Sport Uno HD, Sky Sport Football HD, Sky Sport Arena HD, Sky Sport Collection HD, Sky Sport Tennis HD, Sky Sport NBA HD, Sky Sport F1 HD, Sky Sport MotoGP HD, Roma TV
|
| Calcio
|
11 channels
|
Sky Sport 24 HD, Sky Sport Serie A HD, Sky Sport Football HD, Sky Sport HD (channels from 251 to 257), Lazio Style Channel
|
| Kids
|
1 channel
|
Cartoon Network HD
|
| Primafila
|
7 channels
|
Sky Primafila 1 HD, Sky Primafila 2 HD, Sky Primafila 4 HD, Sky Primafila 6 HD, Sky Primafila 8 HD, Sky Primafila 10 HD, Sky Primafila 12 HD
|
| Optional Channels
|
4 channels
|
DAZN 1, DAZN 1+, Milan TV, Inter TV
|
