Get into TV Operations

A week long work experience bootcamp, giving you a window into the world of TV broadcasting. Enjoy a hands-on introduction to the roles available and what’s expected of the TV Operations team.

What is TV Operations?

TV Operations is the team at the forefront of ensuring Sky customers get their channels & content seamlessly. We deal with live services, working closely with Sky Sports & Sky News as well as Sky’s entertainment channels and ensure the channels are delivered to the high quality demanded by Sky’s customers whether they are watching channels on SkyQ, SkyGo or Now TV or are streaming content from the 1000s of titles available via Catch up or Sky Store across all devices.

There are three specific functions in TV Operations. Live Content Delivery is responsible for arranging and bringing in feeds from events happening all over the world as contribution content to Sky’s channels. This ranges from live sports events to breaking news stories. Our Playout department is responsible for putting together the channels and ensuring perfection for our customers closely monitoring the output of all Sky channels and resolving problems when they occur and making necessary corrections to schedules and content. Finally our Platform Control department oversee the safe delivery of Linear & Video on Demand content to customers however and whenever they choose to receive it whether over Satellite or connected devices. Here we detect problems and resolve them to ensure customers get the best service possible.

TV Operations is based in two locations, at our Osterley Headquarters and at our Chilworth site in Hampshire.

The Programme

Get into TV Operations is an initiative to open up visibility of roles in a technology environment which are traditionally seen as Male dominated to Female applicants who may be considering a career in Technology or retraining for a second career in an area they have previously thought they were not suited for. Sky is an equal opportunities employer and we are seeking to provide a more equal gender balance in areas which are under-represented.

The programme consists of a one week work experience event to showcase the roles to candidates who show the right motivation and qualities and want to find out if this is a career path they would like to follow. Following on from this we run a number of training opportunities as a 6-9 month fixed term contract. These are designed to train applicants so that they are better equipped to apply for permanent roles we have in the departments as they arise. These permanent roles are open to all candidates and not restricted to applicants who have come through this programme. In this way we are looking to broaden the pipeline of talent and balance the gender diversity of applicants.

The one week work experience event will be run at our Osterley site but the training opportunities can be run at both the Chilworth (Southampton) and Osterley sites.

What skills do I need?

Attention to Detail

We aim for perfection and that means we have to pay attention to the details: whether it’s an error in a rewritten channel schedule, imperfections on an incoming feed or channel output or missing or incorrect content in our Catchup TV catalogues. You need to have the patience and attention to detail to look for, spot small flaws that will spoil our customers enjoyment of Sky & Now TV.

Calm under Pressure

Things do go wrong in live Operations but when they do we need to be able to deal with it in a calm and measured way. Whether it’s identifying the right procedure to resolve a problem or responding to symptoms of a previously unseen fault we need to remain calm and measured in our response.

Calm under Pressure

Analytical & Logical Thinking

So now you have stayed calm you now need to solve the problem. That requires a skill of keeping an open mind and using the facts you know to solve problems and work out the best course of action. Whether this is fixing a problem or modifying a channel schedule because a live event is overrunning making correct decisions based on the information you have is a talent.

Communications

With all of this you are not alone. You have colleagues working with you both in the department and in other departments. The key to great teamwork is great communications. Being able to clearly explain a problem, ask for advice or hand over an issue requires good verbal and written communications skills. But it’s not just about passing on information, its also about receiving information – listening to others passing you information and ensuring understanding is paramount.

Communications

Willing to Work Shifts

One of the core principles of Sky TV is that we provide world class entertainment for our customers to enjoy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This naturally means we need to be on our A-game at all hours and we operate around the clock to do it. This does require our teams to work shifts to do this.

Key Information

TV Operations is how we schedule and broadcast award-winning content. We work with live services, teaming up with Sky Sports and Sky News, as well as our entertainment channels. We make sure that customers experience the best quality possible, whatever device they’re watching on. And whether they’re watching via Sky Go, Catch Up TV or NOW TV.

Over the 5 days, you’ll learn all about our products, broadcast fundamentals, content delivery, playout, how we work at Sky, and hear from some special guest speakers.

The good news? You don’t need to be a TV or tech expert to take part. We look for detail-obsessed, collaborative people who enjoy problem-solving, stay calm when it gets hectic, care about customers and are curious about technology. And, as most of the best TV is watched outside normal working hours, you’ll also be prepared to work shifts.

If you think you fit the bill, we’d love to hear from you.

Modules

  • Day 1: Overview of the programme, Sky’s products (esp Q, Now, Sky Go, Store, Linear, Catchup etc) Broadcast fundamentals – broadcast 101. Introduction to departments
  • Day 2: Rotation 1 – Hands on Experience in Playout / Live Content Delivery / Broadcast Platforms (split group into 3, 1/3rd to each area.)
  • Day 3: Rotation 2 – Hands on Experience in Playout / Live Content Delivery / Broadcast Platforms
  • Day 4: Rotation 3 – Hands on Experience in Playout / Live Content Delivery / Broadcast Platforms
  • Day 5: Classroom based Group exercises, More in depth look at each area’s specific work challenges. Working at Sky. Feedback from attendees.

Important Dates

Applications are now closed, but please check back for future dates