Sky will open up a new front in sports viewing next week with the launch of Sky Sports Mix.
The mini-pay channel goes live at 12.30 on Wednesday 24 August. It will be carried in Sky’s basic package with a brief to offer a window on the Sky Sports premium channels and screen sports not previously covered on television.
The first live sport will be England’s first one day cricket international against Pakistan.
Real Madrid, world rugby champions New Zealand and the Belgian grand prix headline a weekend of some major live sport that will also include European Tour golf and the EFL Sky Bet Championship match between Burton Albion and Derby County on Friday night.
Sky Sports Managing Director, Barney Francis, said: “It’s an exciting moment for Sky Sports as we open up a window to millions more people for the first time. Sky Sports Mix will offer the chance for millions of homes to enjoy a selection of the first class sport we broadcast every day, and we hope that will mean even more people find a sport they love and are inspired to become even more passionately engaged.”
Sky Sports Mix not only enters a market occupied by Eurosport, but to a certain extent free-to-air broadcasters including ITV4.