Comcast and ViacomCBS have received “full regulatory approval” to create European streaming joint venture SkyShowtime, the companies said on Wednesday.
The two companies had in August struck a deal to launch a new subscription video-on-demand service in more than 20 European territories, including Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, this year. The territories encompass 90 million homes.
Earlier this year, the two partners named Monty Sarhan the CEO of the streaming venture. The executive, who had joined Comcast Cable in late 2019 as senior vp content acquisition after working at Epix, also has experience at Viacom. He is based in London, reporting to the board of SkyShowtime, which is using the brand names of Comcast’s European pay TV giant Sky and ViacomCBS’ Showtime.
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Other leadership team members for SkyShowtime would be announced “in due course,” according to company memos shared with staff at the time.
“We are pleased that SkyShowtime has received all regulatory approvals and are excited to bring this new, unique and compelling entertainment service — with a broad range of some of the world’s leading content — to millions of consumers across these markets,” Sarhan said on Wednesday.
Further details on SkyShowtime, including its pricing, will be announced at a later date.
SkyShowtime will ultimately 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 vast offering will span 10,000 hours of content across all genres and audience categories, including scripted dramas, kids and family, key franchises, premiere movies, local programming, documentaries/factual content, and more,” the venture partners said.
Sky Group CEO Dana Strong in 2021 touted SkyShowtime, saying it would “combine the best of the U.S. and Europe with iconic brands and world-class entertainment for millions of consumers,” providing 10,000-plus hours of entertainment.
