James R | On 18, Apr 2016

Sky has snapped up the exclusive streaming rights to Adventure Time in the UK.

Sky and Turner have agreed a long-term deal so Sky customers will be able to watch more shows from Turner’s portfolio of kids channels, including Cartoon Network, Boomerang and pre-school channel Cartoonito.

The agreement, which comes into force in May, means Sky customers will be able to watch the the all-new episodes of The Powerpuff Girls, as well as having exclusive on-demand access to boxsets of The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time. Ben 10, Regular Show, and classics such as Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry and Looney Tunes will also join the line-up.

The announcement arrives following the removal of Cartoon Network shows, including Adventure Time, from Sky rivals Netflix and Amazon Video, and “helps ensure Sky remains the best entertainment choice for children and their parents in the UK and Ireland”.

Indeed, Sky now says it has the widest range of live children’s channels, and the new agreement with Turner will also grow its library of on-demand kids’ TV episodes to 4,500.

Lucy Murphy, Head of Kids Content, Sky comments: “Turner produces some of kids’ absolute favourite shows and we are really excited Sky will be the only place they can watch boxsets of The Amazing World of Gumball and Adventure Time. We know how much our customers love Cartoon Network, Boomerang and Cartoonito so it is great news that our relationship with Turner will be continuing for many years to come.”

The deal marks the growing competition in the kids’ TV arena, with Sky recently launching its own dedicated Sky Kids app to offer a “fun and safe way for pre-schoolers to 12 year olds to enjoy the most popular kids TV”. Other kids’ apps competing for young eyeballs include Amazon’s dedicated SVOD service (complete with kid-friendly tablets), BBC iPlayer Kids, YouTube Kids and standalone app Hopster.

The good news for those with little Adventure Time fans in the family is that Sky’s growing kids’ library is also available through the NOW app, which gives non-Sky customers access to Sky programmes for £6.99 a month, including Game of Thrones and Supergirl, without the added burden of a 12-month contract.

For those who are locked in, Sky’s newly acquired kids’ shows will be available through the dedicated Sky Kids tile on the Sky TV homepage. Demand for kids’ television is significant, especially for content that can be put on at any time of day to keep tykes entertained – since Sky added that Sky Kids tile to the homepage of its interface in Summer 2015, on-demand views have increased five times.

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