‘Saturday Night Live UK’ Was “Conceived As A Huge Social Media Digital Format,” Sky Boss Says

Saturday Night Live UK  was “conceived as a huge, social media digital format as well as a traditional video format,” according to Sky boss Dana Strong.

Strong set out the case for social media being as important if not possibly more important than linear for the UK version of the 50-year-old American mega-hit.

Strong used SNL UK’s social media drive as proof that Sky is thinking digital-first.

“SNL UK was conceived of as a huge social media digital format as well as a traditional video format and so the way we have created engagement across digital platforms is so important,” she told the Enders TMT Leaders Live Conference in London. “From a standpoint of entertainment – and SNL – it’s about how you think about being digital first in your entertainment content.”

Strong pointed out that Sky has huge teams working from midnight to 5AM after each Saturday show “putting digital assets out there,” which then continues through the week before they start “hyping up on social media” on the Friday.

SNL UK landed relatively middling ratings but broke through culturally and social media was crucial to this. After its first month, we revealed it had stormed past 86M views across its official online accounts on YouTube, Instagram Reels, X/Twitter, and TikTok, meaning it was consistently going viral.

The show has been renewed for a bigger, 12-episode season starting later this year.

Turning to sport, Strong said Sky has the “broadest, deepest amount of sports rights we’ve had” despite intense competition from rivals.

She said Sky airs 3,000 sporting events per month, amounting to around 100 per day. New digital formats, such as the multi-viewing experience that meant all 10 Premier League finals day matches were shown on Sky, is helping, Strong added.

Sky is in the process of buying broadcaster ITV. ITV recently said the pair remain in “active discussions” over a £1.6B ($2.2B) sale of its Media & Entertainment (M&E) business. Strong, however, was not asked about the ITV sale during her appearance at the Enders conference.

Strong was speaking at the Enders TMT Leaders Live Conference before the likes of Netflix’s Larry Tanz, Disney’s Karl Holmes and House of the Dragon showrunner Ryan Condal.