The broadcasting giant has partnered with WhatCar.com (which is produced by Media Week publisher Haymarket) to supply car reviews, and Auto Trader to feed used-car listings to its site.
Video reviews of more than 250 cars are being developed by Sky, while the website will feature blogs, buying advice and other video content aimed at a wide audience. News and features are also a major part of the site.
Editorial on the site will be run by Alistair Weaver, who has worked for What Car? and Autocar, and on ITV1 show Pulling Power.
Paul Wright, director of sales at Sky Digital Media, will handle the commercial side of the venture. Wright said that the widespread use of video on Sky's motoring site would open up a new range of ad opportunities. As well as having multimedia content throughout the site, there is a section dedicated to images and videos.
Sky's launch of a motoring site follows a year of significant investment in its online offering. The broadcaster has sought to offer content and ad opportunities beyond its main sites - Sky News, Sky Sports and Sky One - by developing a series of online destinations around Sky.com, its central portal.
In July, Sky collaborated with PropertyFinder.com and Dating Direct.com to launch property and dating sites (Media Week, 24 July, page 14), as part of a strategy of partnering with prominent websites.
The broadcaster is keen to build on the seven million-plus unique users that access its sites every month, according to online measurement firm comScore, and has other web developments in the pipeline.
Sky's online activity this year has also extended to its agency relations. The broadcaster moved its multi-million-pound search account from independent digital agency I-Level to Diffiniti and Unique Digital in August, although the rest of the firm's digital media spend remains with I-Level.
Digital agency MediaBurn built the website, while Guerrilla aided the broadcaster in editorial and video content.
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