Sky Sports, CPL and Happy Prince triumph at Broadcast Digital Awards

Sky Sports Main Event and indies CPL Productions and Happy Prince all secured two wins apiece at the Broadcast Digital Awards this evening.

The sports-focused network took home Channel of the Year and Channel of the Year (Non-PSB Group) - having also won the latter last year – while CPL Productions triumphed in the Multichannel Production Company of the Year category and in Best Entertainment Programme, for dating juggernaut Married At First Sight UK.

ITV Studios label Happy Prince enjoyed double success for its Disney+ drama smash Rivals, which was named Best Drama Programme and Programme of the Year.

Judges said Married at First Sight has “evolved into one of the most culturally impactful and engaged reality formats in the UK” and “dominates the office, WhatsApp and social media conversations”. It is among a raft of hits for CPL, including Love Is Blind UK (Netflix), 90 Day Fiancé UK (Discovery+), Rob & Romesh Vs and A League of Their Own (both Sky).

The judges were also impressed by Rivals describing it as “a joyful example of taking a bit of a leap in commissioning, and really delivering on it”.

Live sports was not the only success story for Sky, which also enjoyed some major factual wins.

The Sky News Digital Team landed Best Digital Support for a Strand, Channel or Genre, having made Sky News the biggest UK broadcaster on TikTok, with nearly 8m followers. The judges said its coverage “redefines what news looks like for the next generation”.

Meanwhile, Sky Documentaries’ Boyzone: No Matter What, produced by Curious Films, was awarded Best Documentary Series, while Sky Arts single The Lost Music of Auschwitz, produced by Windfall Films, won Best Specialist Factual Programme.

Other major wins included Hollyoaks scooping its fourth consecutive Best Digital Support For a Programme award, while U&W’s hit format Pete Wicks: For Dogs’ Sake (BBC Studios Entertainment) was named Best Popular Factual Programme.