After driving both Comcast and 21st Century Fox to look for ways to scale up and better compete with it, Netflix is now partnering with the U.K. company both media giants covet, satellite TV operator Sky.
According to The Independent, Sky is the latest major pay TV operator to natively integrate the subscription video on demand platform into its user interface.
“With this innovative new partnership and Netflix’s stellar lineup of original content from across the world, Sky’s customers will be able to seamlessly access and enjoy all the best entertainment in one place,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, in a statement.
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Sky will deploy Netflix later this year to Sky Q customers in the U.K. and Ireland. Sky subscribers in German, Austria and Italy will see integration down the road. Netflix will be available to Sky Q users for an additional subscriber fee. The service will include 4K/HDR availability.
Netflix is already natively available on the pay TV set-tops of Sky’s biggest rival in the U.K., Liberty Global’s Virgin.
Sky also has announced the integration of Spotify into its Q set-tops.
“By placing Sky and Netflix content side by side, along with programs from the likes of HBO, Showtime, Fox and Disney, we are making the entertainment experience even easier and simpler for our customers,” said Jeremy Darroch, Group Chief Executive of Sky, in a statement.