ENO Sky Arts Season 2003-2009: Sponsorship Case Study

In October 2003, ENO and Sky Arts (formerly Sky and Artsworld) announced a groundbreaking partnership, when Sky Arts became ENO’s exclusive Season Sponsor. 
Launched whilst ENO’s home, the London Coliseum, was undergoing the final stages of a 4-year restoration, the relationship would prove pivotal in the artistic development of both organizations.  After six wonderful years, the relationship culminated in Summer 2009.

Objectives
It was vital that the partnership unified and delivered both companies’ objectives through the creation of a flagship arts sponsorship that could remain flexible and adapt to the ever-changing environment. 

For Sky Arts, the primary goal was to raise brand awareness and position itself strongly through a partnership with a high-profile arts organisation committed to engaging with the widest audience through the presentation of high quality work that was innovative and adventurous. 

ENO was seeking a partner that would contribute to the final stages of the building project, and that would support the breadth of ENO’s artistic programme across a number of seasons following the re-opening of the theatre in Spring 2004.

Partnership
The full programme included title sponsorship of ENO’s season alongside a range of initiatives to engage the widest possible audience:

• Sky Seats Extra – 14,000 seats across every season for just £20 each when booked online
• Sky Subscribers Night – an annual event for Sky customers for which all seats in the house were just £5 each
• Sky Focus – support for the creation of one new commission per annum which was intended to push back the boundaries of the artform and reach new audiences
• Culture Connection – arts-based training activity for staff at Sky offices in London and Scotland
• ENO Baylis – ENO Baylis workshops for Sky’s community partners
• ENO Interactive – seed funding to support the development of ENO Interactive in its first year (2007/08) to enable ENO to engage with new audiences through the use of new technology

Successes
The success of the partnership was phenomenal. For Sky Arts it provided a solid platform through which they established themselves as a major supporter and broadcaster of arts content in the UK.  They now have three dedicated arts channels. 

In early 2009, we celebrated a world-first in broadcasting with the live simulcast of the opening night of ENO’s new production of La boheme, which empowered the viewer to choose whether they watched the performance from the audience’s perspective or followed the action backstage.

In summer 2009, ENO supported Sky as they launched their staff choir. Activity included mentoring for the choir master and singing lessons and group masterclasses for choir members with the ENO chorus.

All of these achievements are a fantastic showcase of the strong and deeply embedded partnership which ENO and Sky Arts enjoyed and of which both organisations are enormously proud.