The Discovery channels – including History, Eurosport and Animal Planet – will remain on Sky's platform, with the satellite giant sticking to its guns and getting its way at the 11th hour.
Discovery had tried to inflate the fee it receives for having its channels on the Sky platform, but its brinkmanship ultimately caused confusion rather than effecting change.
The decision to accept a deal offered a week ago means Sky will not lose the channels, while the blockbuster fee suggested by Discovery did not come to fruition.
Conclusion
“We are pleased that we will continue to carry the Discovery and Eurosport channels on Sky," said Sky’s CEO for UK and Ireland Stephen van Rooyen.
“The deal has been concluded on the right terms after Discovery accepted the proposal we gave them over a week ago. This is a good outcome for all Sky customers.
“We are also delighted to be announcing today a new deal with PBS America that will bring the best of PBS's factual programming to Sky, covering history, science, current affairs, arts and culture.
“We are also adding over 1,000 hours of programming to our On Demand service from channels like History and National Geographic. This means ours customers can enjoy the very best factual programming available.”
The PBS deal is an interesting one, with UK audiences now getting the chance to check out some of America’s less-heralded factual programming.
Its big hitters include The Amish, History Detectives and, of course, Ken Burns' The Civil War.
