With Netflix looking to flex its muscles in the world stage, Sky, their European competitor just made life a little more difficult for them by signing an exclusive deal with Sony Pictures in the UK. Under the deal, Sky would get exclusive access to Sony Pictures films, 6 months after their theatrical release like the upcoming Will Smith film, After Earth. Sky would also be able to keep Nextflix away from recent titles like Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, and Django Unchained. Sony Pictures has most recently been the center of much debate after CBS signaled an interest to buy the company from Sony Corp.

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Sky and Sony Pictures Television announce new multi-year movies agreement

Sky has further strengthened its movies offering through a new deal with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) that will provide customers with exclusive access to hit movies including Men in Black 3, The Amazing Spider-Man and Django Unchained before any other TV channel or subscription service.

Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Sky Movies will be the first subscription service in the UK and Ireland to screen new movies from Sony Pictures, including upcoming titles such as Smurfs 2, This is the End, and After Earth. Sky Movies customers will be able to enjoy exclusive subscription access to Sony Pictures’ new releases around six months after they have ended their run in cinemas. Once on Sky Movies, the titles will be exclusively available for at least a year.

Alongside the new releases, Sky Movies customers will also get access to an extensive collection of classic films from the Sony Pictures library, including the first three Spiderman movies, The Da Vinci Code, and Bad Santa, available on an exclusive basis while they are on the service.

Continuing Sky’s commitment to offer customers new ways of accessing their content, the full range of new and classic titles included in the agreement will be available to NOW TV customers with a Sky Movies monthly pass. NOW TV, Sky’s internet TV service, offers easy and flexible access to Sky Movies across many connected platforms and devices.

All movies will be available on demand, on Sky Go, HD, and, where available, 3D, further enhancing the viewing experience and adding more value for Sky customers. For customers who want to take movies with them on the go, the films will also be available on Sky’s new subscription service Sky Go Extra. For just £5 a month, Sky Go Extra customers can download movies and entertainment shows to their smartphone, mobile tablet, laptop or MacBook.

Alongside exclusive access to the first pay TV window titles, Sky and SPT have also agreed a non-exclusive deal for pay-per-view movies, which will be available to Sky customers through Sky Movies Box Office and on demand through Sky Store. Through these services, all Sky customers can rent Sony Pictures titles, from the latest movies – many at the same time as they are available on DVD – through to an extensive library of classic films.

Customers who subscribe to Sky Movies via Virgin Media, UPC and TalkTalk will also be able to enjoy the full range of subscription films from Sony Pictures.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Movies, comments: “We’re delighted to have secured Sony Pictures content for our customers, further extending our leadership in movies. We are committed to providing our customers with the biggest and best movies, available to watch when and how they want. That’s why Sky Movies customers enjoy access to the biggest movies first, in HD, on demand, on the go and in 3D. And with the launch of Sky Go Extra, they can now even download movies to their smartphones and tablets to watch offline.”

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