LONDON: Sky, the UK broadcaster and internet provider, has launched a novel loyalty scheme that offers customers a range of benefits that increase in generosity the longer they have stayed with the company.

Called Sky VIP, the initiative is the first of its kind in the UK TV and broadband sector and effectively means that customers will be rewarded according to their tenure with Sky rather than how much they spend.

Sky announced in a statement that its new loyalty programme, which is accessed via the My Sky app, will offer hundreds of thousands of free tickets to all customers.

These include tickets to top sports events, such as Premier League football matches, exclusive preview screenings of the latest films, as well as prize draws for experiences, including a paid-for trip to Iceland to visit film locations for Game of Thrones.

“Customers can join Sky VIP now by downloading the app to discover the exclusive range of personal rewards available to them,” the company statement read.

“On joining, all customers can access their free Welcome Gift of a Sky Store movie and find out their membership tier, based on the length of time they've been with Sky.”

There are four membership tiers – Silver (0-3 years), Gold (3-8 years), Platinum (8-15 years) and Black (15+ years) – with each one offering more new benefits in addition to all the rewards offered in the lower tiers.

For example, Sky VIP Gold members will have access to a new channel, Sky Atlantic VIP, allowing them to watch some of Sky Atlantic’s new shows 24 hours early.

The next tier up, Platinum, carries offers such as a free upgrade to fibre optic broadband, while Black includes priority customer service.

According to Lyssa McGowan, Sky’s Chief Commercial Officer, a key benefit of the scheme rests in encouraging more customers to download the Sky app.

“We definitely want people to download the app. We have found it to be such a good way of our customers interacting with us and making sure they get the most out of our content and services,” she told Marketing Week.

“Having loyalty in there is a double benefit. It gives people a reason to keep coming back to check.”

Data sourced from Sky, Marketing Week; additional content by WARC staff