Sky Media today announces it has been selected by Manning Gottlieb OMD to become John Lewis’ TV broadcaster partner to mark the launch of this year’s eagerly awaited Christmas ad ‘Buster the Boxer’. Sky Media will be executing two ‘media firsts’ and will have TV broadcaster exclusivity on the ad for the first 12 hours of release as well as exclusive content for Sky customers. Sky Media has created an innovative platform ensuring that the ad and additional content will sit in the heart of the home, giving consumers the power to watch it whenever they want.
From 8am today (Thursday 10th), Sky customers in millions of households across the UK & Ireland, will be able to view the 2-minute John Lewis Christmas ad in a specially created video on demand (VoD) tile on Sky’s most premium real estate – the homepages of Sky+, Sky Q and Sky Go. As well as the first place to see the ad on TV, Sky customers can exclusively watch a film of ‘Making Buster the Boxer’ a week ahead of anywhere else. In addition, bespoke content has been created by Sky’s acclaimed in-house programme makers to accompany the ad.
‘Garden Friends’ presented by natural documentary filmmaker and Sky Talent, Patrick Aryee, aligns with the theme of this year’s ad, helping highlight how viewers can encourage local wildlife into their own gardens. Made by Sky Vision the content was specifically made to accompany the John Lewis campaign. The content is exclusive to Sky and will available throughout December via On Demand and Sky Go platforms.
“The John Lewis Christmas campaign marks a cultural moment in the calendar and we’re excited to be collaborating with such an iconic brand. The partnership represents our shared objective of creating great stories and for it to be enjoyed together as a family on the biggest and best screen in the home. By working with both John Lewis and MGOMD from an early stage we’ve been able to create engaging new content and push boundaries..”
John Litster, managing director, Sky Media
To further amplify the campaign, at 8pm tonight, Sky Media has evolved the traditional multi-channel roadblock concept and will execute the biggest ever multi-platform roadblock. The TV ad will run across 90+ channels, as well as break exclusivity across On Demand and Sky Go viewing that evening. On linear TV, the ad will also be supported with a unique 10 second ‘outro’ from Patrick Aryee driving viewers to the additional On Demand content featured on the Sky platform and the John Lewis website.
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