Sky Italia and Open Fiber agree long-term deal

Sky Italia and Open Fiber announce a long-term deal to launch a fibre-only service from summer 2019, to drive long-term growth in fibre and Pay-TV services. This fibre-only service will be available alongside Sky’s existing services.

The deal will give Sky access to Open Fiber’s FTTH (fibre-to-the-home) network which is set to reach the 271 main urban areas of the country by 2022.

As more content is delivered to consumers over the internet, Sky’s fibre offer will bring together the best content from Sky with the best connectivity available in the Italian market.

Sky will deliver its TV offering directly to customers via Sky Q – the next generation box that has set a new standard for TV in Italy – that, starting from 2019, will also be delivered via the internet as well as by satellite.

As part of the wider Group, Sky will continue to bring viewers the best content from around the world including Disney, Fox, HBO and the increasingly acclaimed Sky original productions such as Babylon Berlin, Gomorrah and The Young Pope.

Andrea Zappia, Sky Italia CEO said, “Sky’s mission is to be at the centre of both innovation in the TV industry and the digitalization process of Italy. This agreement with Open Fiber is an important next step. We believe that Pay-TV has significant room for growth and fibre represents an innovative and simple way to deliver more quality TV and on-demand content into the heart of Italian homes. The combination of the Sky Q experience, exclusive content and our passion for our customers will make this offer unique. At the same time, the outstanding quality of Sky’s service will accelerate the take-up of fibre as is already happening in other European countries.”

Elisabetta Ripa, Open Fiber CEO said, “We strongly believe that our wholesale-only business model is the best way to accelerate the roll out and penetration in Italy of innovative ultra broadband services, provided on a pure fiber infrastructure. This strategic agreement is a milestone to promote the advantages and the potential of our active TLC services, designed to deliver a superior customer experience. We are proud to partner with Sky in this exciting project.”