Our reputation as a business people can trust is influenced by many factors. By day-to-day experiences of our products and services, how we respond to issues that concern our customers, how we operate as a business and the way we support and develop our people. As a business we know that we have responsibilities to all of the Sky community. Find out more about Sky by visiting the Sky Corporate site - this link will open in a new window.
Focusing on the right things
To make sure we are getting this right each year we ask those that have a stake in Sky's success what they expect from us. We share with them our existing plans and seek their feedback on our activities. We have focused our initiatives in The Bigger Picture on arts, sport, environment as well as taken responsibility in areas such as child safety.
Our Actions
Taking responsibility is not about ticking boxes, it is about taking action and consistently doing the right thing for the Sky community. This is not the responsibility of one team at Sky. We work through our internal governance structures, such as our Board level Corporate Responsibility Steering Group which provides direction and is chaired by one of our non-executive directors, Gail Rebuck.
Through this years engagement process we were told that we could use our influence as a broadcaster to a greater extent; that delivering great service to our customers is essential; that we need to continue to provide the tools to our customers to help them use our products responsibly and safely; and that as a major UK company we should help our suppliers become more sustainable.
Giving families the tools they need
Today more than ever we benefit from greater access to information and entertainment made possible through advances in technology. From multi-channel TV, which brings hundreds of new channels and programmes into our lives, to the internet which can open up the world to children but could also presents risks to them.
With so much going on we know our customers want to make sure they can manage what their families watch on TV and access online.
To meet the needs of our customers online, we have teamed up with McAfee to provide an internet security suite on all Sky Broadband products. For more information on parental controls and advice on internet safety, Click here.
Childnet International - We are also building relationship with Childnet International, a charity that works with others to make the internet a great and safe place for children. Take a look at the Childnet International website and download the Know it All guidance and advice.
Parental controls and PIN protection on TV
Sky provides market leading controls to help families manage what their children watch. Our parental control features include age rating filters to prevent the viewing of selected programmes. They also let customers restrict access to specific channels completely or from 8pm, and the adult channel can be completely removed from the listings screen. Parental control can also monitor spending on Sky Box Office and online. Access to classified films broadcast during the day is also protected via a PIN.
Helping families stay safe online
As the UK's fastest growing broadband provider we decided this year to include McAfee parental control software free to all our broadband customers for life.Our internet child safety strategy covers three main areas: blocking illegal or harmful images; providing advice and education to families and children on safe use of the internet; and providing the tools to families to enable them to make choices on how they use the internet.We are a member of the Internet Watch Foundation, the only authorised organisation in the UK which provides an internet hotline for the public to report their exposure to illegal content online. It also aims to minimise the availability of potentially illegal content.
Areas of focus
We have focused our work on three areas in particular where we believe we can make a real difference: opening up the arts to more people, encouraging participation in sport and helping create a healthy environment. Our contribution is underpinned by a commitment to taking responsibility and to doing the right thing.
In our 2008 Bigger Picture Review we set out our plans for the coming year through our ‘looking forward' commitments. These are:
Arts
Commitment 1: We will continue to support the UK arts by investing in initiatives and partnerships that seek to make the arts accessible
Commitment 2: We will work to highlight how the arts are vital to us all and to enable people to be enriched by them in their daily lives
Sport
Commitment 1: We will work to increase participation in cycling from grass roots to elite, working with schools, clubs and the community
Commitment 2: We will ensure every school across the U has the opportunity to benefit fro Sky Sports living for Sport
Environment
Commitment 1: We will continue to review our environmental targets to make sure they challenge us
Commitment 2: We will extend auto standby and see new ways to pioneer green technologies to save our customers energy and money in the home
People
Commitment 1: We will invite people to join in and become an active part of the Bigger Picture - bringing benefits for themselves, for the community and for Sky
Commitment 2: We will create training and development opportunities for employees to discover and develop news skills and talents
Taking Responsibility
Commitment 1: We will continue to provide the tools that our customers need to enable them and their families to use all our products and services responsibly and safely
Commitment 2: We will seek ways to use our influence as a broadcaster to raise awareness of the issues that affect us all