The Sound of Music: SKY CINEMA Celebrates Family Movie Traditions As It Launches Its Christmas TV Ad starring Maimie McCoy

Sky Cinema premieres its 2017 Christmas campaign today with a heart-warming TV advert, available to view exclusively through the official Sky Cinema Facebook page ahead of its national television premiere on 8 November.

Prime viewing spots also include ad breaks during coverage of England's friendly with Germany on Friday 10 November, during The X Factor on Saturday 11 November and on the opening episode of the new series of I’m A Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here! on 19 November.

Built around the iconic The Sound of Music, one of the first films to be broadcast on Sky in 1989, the advert tells the moving story of a mother and daughter and the Christmases they spend together over the course of 25 years. Starting from the wide-eyed wonder of a four-year-old watching the film for the first time, the advert takes viewers on a touching journey through the years of teenage awkwardness and a gap year spent travelling, before finally revealing the daughter as a mother herself, beginning a new cycle of Christmas movie traditions.

The advert stars Maimie McCoy (Grantchester, DCI Banks and The Musketeers) as the mother, and sisters Billie (4 years old), Dolly (7 years old) and Beau (10 years old) Gadsdon as the daughter, two of which - Dolly and Beau - featured in 2016 hit Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - available on Sky Cinema this Christmas.

The set of the ad recreates a family home and, with the use of over 700 props, depicts the changing décor, tech and hairstyles of the last three decades. Shot on film to evoke the sense of time passing, in over 200 hours in September, a lack of winter snow is countered with the use of over 15 kilos of icing sugar for that truly Christmas effect.

Sky Cinema will be the home of Christmas this year with some of 2017's biggest films including the UK TV premiere of Disney's stunning Beauty and the Beast (2017), a new premiere every day, over 1000 movies available On Demand, as well as three dedicated channels: Sky Cinema Christmas, Sky Cinema Classics and Sky Cinema Musicals – all available to Sky Cinema customers at no extra cost.

The 60 second Sky Cinema Christmas TV advert is one of three that will air throughout November and December. The second ad stays with the mother and daughter and focuses on a letter to Santa, drawing inspiration from the wide array of Christmas classics available through the dedicated Sky Cinema Christmas channel. The final ad will take audiences through the doors of a themed advent calendar, providing a glimpse at some of the new premieres available on Sky Cinema throughout the festive season including The Boss Baby, The LEGO® Batman Movie, Kong: Skull Island, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures.

Ian Lewis, Director of Sky Cinema commented “The Sky Cinema Christmas campaign taps into the emotional connection we all have with our favourite movies at Christmas. Everyone has a Christmas tradition and watching the same film year on year is something many will identify with. Sky Cinema has one of its best ever line-ups this Christmas with a new premiere every day, including the year’s biggest blockbuster Beauty and the Beast on Christmas Day, plus three dedicated channels Sky Cinema Christmas, Sky Cinema Classics and Sky Cinema Musicals available throughout the festive season.”

Collating the best of both new and classic content, available On Demand in HD and UHD, Sky Cinema is the UK and Ireland’s leading in-home movies service and customers can look forward to more dedicated channels and the best new movies in 2018.

Sky Cinema is available for just £10 per month to Sky customers*, and is also available On Demand** and via NOW TV.

*Sky Cinema £10 for 18 months: For new and existing Sky TV customers joining Sky Cinema. New 18-month contracts and further terms apply.

**Over 1000 movies on demand: Requires Sky Cinema Bundle, compatible box connected to broadband (min 2Mbps) for Sky TV customers

SKY CINEMA CHRISTMAS TV ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
The Sky Cinema Christmas TV advertising campaign, featuring the mother-daughter Christmas story, was written by WCRS creatives Alicia Job and Jessica Watson, and directed by Ben Liam Jones at Strange Love Productions. For more information please contact Alex Gluck, Senior Account Director, WCRS: 0203 128 6120 / [email protected]
The Sky Cinema Christmas Advent calendar advert was created by Sky Creative.

ABOUT SKY
Sky is Europe's leading entertainment company, serving 22.5 million customers across seven countries - UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. The company has annual revenues of £12.9 billion and is Europe’s leading investor in television content with annual programming spend of over £6 billion.

From exclusive partnerships with HBO and Showtime, to Sky Original Productions, Sky offers the best and broadest range of content along with the best viewing experience to suit each and every customer. Whether that’s through the multi-award winning next generation box, Sky Q, or Sky’s contract-free online streaming service, NOW TV, customers have access to the latest movies, drama, sports and kids entertainment wherever and whenever they like. This is all supported by Sky’s best in class customer service.

Sky’s success is not just based on what the company does but how it does it. Named as one of the Top 10 Green Companies in the World by Newsweek, one of the world’s most recognised rankings of business’s environmental performance, Sky ensures its responsible business strategy is embedded right across the group. Sky has over 31,000 employees and is listed as one of The Times Top 50 employers for women. Sky is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SKY).