Sky has bought online channel producer Diagonal View in a move the firm says will “broaden” its engagement with “younger, digital-first” audiences.
Diagonal View’s channels, which include the Alltime10s and The Football Daily channels, have over 15 million subscribers and clocked up over “one billion views” in the past year.
Sky says the deal will accelerate its plans to become “a top five social destination for sport”. Diagonal View’s existing leadership team, including founder Matt Heiman, will continue to lead the business.
Barney Francis, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said: “Last year Sky Sports reached one in five of the UK & Ireland’s total digital population and this acquisition will further our ability to reach new social audiences.
“The breadth and diversity of sports that Sky has rights to, combined with Diagonal View’s track record in building audiences from scratch will be a powerful partnership; benefitting customers and advertisers alike.”
Matt Heiman, Founder of Diagonal View commented: “The Diagonal View team and I are excited to join forces with Sky.
“Our social channels complement Sky’s current portfolio – the prospect of our incredibly popular Football Daily channels collaborating with Sky, whose pedigree in this space is unrivalled, is extremely exciting.
“Sky brings rights, expertise and scale. Diagonal View knows how to make content that digital natives enjoy watching and engaging with, so this partnership feels like a natural win-win for both us and Sky.
“We are looking forward to working together in developing innovative campaigns and building on the success of our popular owned channels.”
