Sky plc ('Sky') today announces that it has invested £1.55 million in Ginx TV, the owner of the UK & Ireland's only 24-hour eSports TV channel, GINX eSports TV. ITV will invest an equal amount, and both companies will have the option to acquire further holdings. The investment follows the launch of the channel on the Sky platform in June.

GINX eSports TV showcases major eSports tournaments from across the globe, as well as unique, independent programming. The schedule includes coverage of Turner's ELEAGUE tournament, FACEIT's eSports Championship Series, and Valve's The International Dota 2 , which GINX eSports TV will is covering live from its new King's Cross studio. Other content partners will include Riot, Activision, EGL, Gfinity and more will be announced.

The best of GINX eSports TV is also available to Sky Q customers, via the curated short-form online video section of the Sky Q EPG.

Outside the UK & Ireland, GINX eSports TV is distributed to an additional 23 million households, making it the largest eSports TV channel in the world, reaching 37 million homes. With the rapid growth of competitive gaming and eSports as a spectator event over the past few years, the appetite and potential for an eSports TV channel has never been greater.

Emma Lloyd, Group Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, Sky commented: 'We're really excited to have followed up our commercial partnership with Ginx with this investment, which will help us deepen our understanding of eSports and its audience. At Sky we are committed to bringing new programmes and channels such as GINX eSports TV to support and extend our leadership position in content.'

This investment follows recent Sky investments in the Drone Racing League, which will be shown on Sky Sports Mix, TRX, the online marketplace for TV rights and fuboTV, a sports-focused over-the-top provider. Sky has previously invested in a number of other pioneering technology companies, including online video aggregator PlutoTV, over-the-top video company TV4, sports social network Whistle Sports, IP streaming service provider Roku and the cinematic virtual reality company Jaunt.

Notes to editors

1) References to Ginx and GINX eSports TV are to Ginx TV Ltd.

2) Gross assets the subject of the transaction were £1.55m

3) Profits attributable to the assets the subject of the transaction were £nil

4) This announcement is being made in accordance with Listing Rule 10.4.1(1)

5) The £1.55m consideration will be satisfied by way of cash and payment in kind via the provision of broadcasting services

For further information, please contact:

Sky

Euan Fordyce

Email: euan.fordyce@sky.uk

Tel: 020 7032 3276

Ginx

Email: info@ginx.tv

Tel: 020 8576 6660

About Sky

Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 21 million customers across five countries: UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria and Italy. We offer the best and broadest range of content, deliver market-leading customer service and use innovative new technology to give customers a better TV experience, whenever and wherever they choose.

Sky has annual revenues of over £11 billion and is Europe's leading investor in television content with a combined programming budget of £4.9 billion. The group employs 30,000 people and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).

About Ginx

Ginx TV Ltd. produces international videogaming TV channels, which after the launch of GINX eSports TV, on Sky, will reach 37 million households around the world. The company also produces videogaming TV series for third party broadcasters.

Sky plc published this content on 20 September 2016 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 20 September 2016 15:05:06 UTC.

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