Sky Media launches £1m support fund for 100 SMEs

A media company has announced a £1m fund to help support UK SMEs.

Sky Media has launched its AdSmart SME support scheme, SME100, which will provide 100 businesses with TV advertising campaigns.

SME100 is open to SMEs that have been running for at least one year in the UK with up to 50 full time employees, and Sky Media is encouraging people to highlight the businesses in their local area that need support during this time and who would benefit from accessing the TV advertising at a moment when TV consumption has significantly increased.

David Sanderson, director of AdSmart local & development at Sky Media: “Businesses up and down the country are facing some of the hardest trading conditions in recent memory.

“We want to help our nation’s SMEs where possible by giving access to highly relevant audiences via AdSmart totally for free. SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy, making up 99.9 per cent of all business in the UK.

“We know that although there are economic slowdowns, people are still spending money and we want to help brands connect to these audiences.

“This initiative is about giving businesses confidence in advertising and their ability to succeed no matter the situation.”

Paul Scully, small business minister, added: “This government is fully committed to supporting SMEs through this challenging time, with £12.3bn in grants and 100 per cent government guaranteed loans of up to £50k through our Bounce Back Loans scheme.

“However, we all have a role to play in the national response to COVID-19, so I welcome Sky’s announcement today, releasing a £1m AdSmart fund to provide SMEs with free TV advertising campaigns.”