The pay-TV giant has invited four agencies to pitch for the business in a closed review that includes current roster agencies WCRS and Brothers & Sisters. Sky has also invested in its own in-house agency, Sky Creative.
Having reviewed the market, it decided only to invite agencies to pitch that have the scale to support Sky on a retained basis in the UK going forward, according to a source familiar with the process.
Luke Bradley-Jones, the chief marketing officer who assumed the role last year following a team restructure, is leading the review. He is being supported by Debbie Klein, Sky’s chief marketing and corporate affairs officer, who joined earlier this year from Engine, WCRS’ parent company.
The review comes at a crucial time for the business as it is subject to rival bids from US media giants Comcast and Disney. The acceleration of online video streaming in recent years has prompted a flurry of media consolidation as opportunities for scale have increased. Sky is 39% owned by Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox.
In the UK, ITV, the biggest commercial broadcaster, is plotting a “direct to consumer” business as new chief executive Carolyn McCall hopes to take advantage of consumers’ willingness to pay for streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
The creative review is expected to conclude in the autumn.
Sky, Britain’s biggest advertiser with an estimated £300m annual spend, consolidated all its European media spend with MediaCom in April, after its first competitive media planning and buying review in 13 years.
A Sky spokeswoman told Campaign: “Sky connects its customers to more of what they love and we’re looking for an agency that will help bring this to life.”
