Sky Italia-24 ORE Group agreement: WebSystem to manage advertising on sky.it

Milan, 3 November 2010 – Sky Italia and 24 ORE Group have reached an advertising agreement regarding the online news medium sky.it. Starting 1 January 2011, WebSystem - the digital division of 24 ORE Group’s advertising agency, specialized in the information field - will take over from Sky Pubblicità - increasingly focused on developing new initiatives on the TV and new media market, managing, on an exclusive basis, all the advertising spaces on the website: display ads, pre-rolls, special projects and initiatives and sponsorships.

Thanks to the agreement, sky.it can leverage one of the market’s leading digital advertising agencies to enhance the content of its online news medium, while WebSystem will add yet another publisher to its roster of clients from the information world, which include, along with Sole 24 Ore, Libero, Foglio and Riformista websites, also those of the ItaliaNews.it syndication (with the online news sources Quotidiano.net, Resto del Carlino, Nazione, Giorno, Secolo XIX, Tempo, Unione Sarda, Quotidiano della Calabria and Quotidiano della Basilicata) and of many other vertical sites such as Meteo.it and Rockol.it.

Over the past few months, Sky.it has been one of the best market performers. In September, unique visitors (source: Audiweb) reached 3.5 million, up 30% versus January 2010, while page views were 112 million, over 50 million more than January. Sky.it delivers breaking national and international news and provides live streaming feeds of the all-news SkyTg24 channel, plus articles on the major events of the day and SkyTg24 and Sky Sport reports.

Sky.it has recently investigated on topical issues such as health, child abuse and drugs. Its social games - Fantascudetto and Fantacampioni – have scored great results, with over 350,000 teams registered. And, needless to say, the website features all the information regarding Sky TV programming.

Set up in 1996, WebSystem has grown into one of the top online advertising agencies in Italy, with a sales force specifically dedicated to new media operating across the country. Thanks to its strategy of continuous target expansion, WebSystem is today the most complete network of News & Information websites, complemented by Entertainment, Sport and Lifestyle sites, capable of offering online ad planning for high-quality targets.

Luca Paglicci, General Manager of WebSystem, said: “We are happy to support sky.it in a phase of growth aimed at strengthening the website’s foothold in the information arena. This explains our utmost satisfaction for having inked this agreement with Sky Italia and for adding such a renowned international player to our network, as this is perfectly consistent with WebSystem’s policy of enticing the market with websites boasting exclusive and high-quality editorial content, well-entrenched in their user base, a high target and advertising solutions in sync with the evolution of the Internet”.

Andrea Scrosati, Vice President Programming & Promotions of Sky Italia, adds: “Sky.it has made an important editorial advancement. Today we aim to cement our position in the information world. This is why we’ve chosen the most specialized partner in the news field and one of the most recognized names in the digital world. We are, therefore, delighted to be able to count on the partnership with one of the leading publishing groups in Italy. Thanks to WebSystem’s activity, Sky.it will be more appealable for those advertisers who wish to spread their message to a qualified and assorted audience”.

For further information: 
Ginevra Cozzi, Press Office Manager 24 ORE Group
Tel. 02-3022.4945 - E-mail: ginevra.cozzi@ilsole24ore.com

Gianluca Rumori, Corporate Press Office Manager Sky Italia
Tel. 02-30801.7491 – E-mail: gianluca.rumori@skytv.it
Adriano Baioni, Press officer
Tel. 02-30801.7261 – E-mail: adriano.baioni@skytv.it