Sky Media launches ‘Footprint Fund’ spin-off to support sustainable SMEs

Today, Sky Media, the advertising arm of Sky, has announced that its award-winning Sky Zero Footprint Fund is launching an additional initiative dedicated to SME and local businesses called ‘Local Heroes’.

Launched in 2021, The Sky Zero Footprint Fund initiative was created to inspire positive behaviour change and help start-ups and established brands accelerate their sustainable initiatives nationally, using the power of TV.

The new fund brings the same promise to local and regional businesses. The ‘Sky Zero Footprint Fund Local Heroes’ will be awarding nine businesses from different regions of the UK and the Republic of Ireland £20,000/ €20,000 of media value to spend on a TV campaign as well as up to £2,500/€2,500 towards ad creation from a local production agency.

The ’Local Heroes’ will be selected through a combination of public vote and a local judging. Aimed at any SME (shop, restaurant, service, charity, visitor attraction etc.), it will be up to the community to vote for their favourite local business into the top 10 in their area. Applicants that fall within the top 10 in their region, will progress to the final round where winners for each of the nine regions will be selected securing the TV creative and airtime.

David Sanderson, Director of AdSmart Local and Development said, “Businesses of all shapes and sizes around the UK are making real change in the fight against climate change. We want to reward those businesses by giving them access to grow their business and spread their sustainable message. AdSmart from Sky is the perfect platform to do that, in a focused and targeted way for regional businesses, and has already helped thousands of businesses get on TV for the first time.”

Applications open from the 3rd July and will close on the 29th October. For full details and to find out how to apply for the ‘Sky Zero Footprint Fund: Local Heroes’, visit www.adsmartfromsky.co.uk/local-heroes.

Sky was the first media company globally to go carbon neutral in 2006 and since then has continued to use its platforms and content to encourage sustainable behaviours for a better planet.

To find out more about the original Sky Zero Footprint Fund, visit www.skymedia.co.uk/skyzerofootprintfund.

AdSmart from Sky has helped thousands of businesses across the UK to access the unrivalled power of TV advertising. AdSmart is the market-leading targeted TV advertising platform, that easily enables businesses of all shapes and sizes to benefit from the most trusted and effective way to advertise. This revolutionary technology allows businesses to reach households by postcode area, within a designated distance of their store, or by household make-up or lifestyle attributes that best suit their service, all within world-class content. By only targeting the audiences that matter to them, businesses can be assured that their advertising will be relevant, accessible, and drive impressive business results, all for a lot less than you think. Want to know more about AdSmart? Visit www.adsmartfromsky.co.uk and follow the LinkedIn page at www.linkedin.com/company/adsmart-from-sky.

About Sky

Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies and is part of Comcast Corporation, a global media and technology company that connects people to moments and experiences that matter. At Sky we Believe in Better. It’s in our DNA.

We’re famous for innovation. We offer the world’s smartest TV, Sky Glass; our plug and play streaming puck, Sky Stream; the best aggregation platform, Sky Q; and streaming services NOW and WOW. We provide connectivity you can count on in mobile, fast, secure, reliable residential and business broadband, as well as smart home protection through Sky Protect.

We’re Europe’s premium content producer. We create award-winning original content, produce the biggest live sporting events, and we provide free access to news and the arts. Our new state-of-the-art film and TV studio Sky Studios Elstree is projected to attract £3 billion of new production investment to the UK in its first five years and create up to 2,000 jobs.

We are a diverse and inclusive employer that has a positive impact on society and the communities that we work and live in. Sky plays a major role in the UK’s cultural economy and, in 2022 alone, supported a contribution of £20 billion to UK GDP, broadcast 70,000 hours of elite sports coverage and invested over £130 million to provide news to consumers free of charge.

About Sky Media

Sky Media is the advertising sales arm of Sky, helping businesses of all shapes and sizes to grow. Through world-class premium content & channels, combined with market leading data-driven innovations like AdSmart, Sky Media gives brands access to audiences wherever they are, however they watch.

Reaching over 93% of the UK population, Sky Media represents over 130 channels including all of Sky’s quality channels and sites including Sky Sports, Sky News, Sky Max, Sky Showcase, Sky Cinema, Sky Arts, Sky Atlantic, Sky Crime, Sky Comedy, Sky Witness, Sky Nature, Sky Documentaries and Sky HISTORY. Sky Media also sells on behalf of a range of renowned broadcasters including Paramount (Channel 5, MTV, Comedy Central), Warner Bros. Discovery (Discovery, Quest, TNT Sports), GREAT!, A+E Networks and AMC Networks.

As Europe’s leading direct-to-consumer media and entertainment company and owned by Comcast NBCUniversal, Sky Media has a truly global footprint. So whether local, national or international, new to TV, a startup looking to scale quickly or an established brand; Sky Media’s award-winning solutions deliver for brands.

Website: www.skymedia.co.uk

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/sky-media-uk

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