October 25, 2010

Sky Atlantic and on demand

It looks increasingly like Virgin Media will carry the new Sky Atlantic HBO/AMC imports channel. Why do I think this? Well if it was going to be a satellite exclusive they'd be shouting about it big time, yet the investors statement made this morning simply says:
Sky Atlantic – From early 2011, the brand new channel will provide an exclusive home to some of the most eagerly anticipated shows intelevision, including all of HBO's new series such as the already critically acclaimed Boardwalk Empire and the forthcoming Game of Thrones,  Luck and Tremé. Sky Atlantic will also be the exclusive home of Mad Men from 2011.  
Plenty of use of the word "exclusive", but nothing about it being exclusive to Sky customers. Fingers' crossed.
Also announced last week was the launch of Sky's internet-based Anytime+ video on demand service, which is likely to be good news for those of us waiting for Sky One programmes to start appearing on Virgin Media On Demand as promised. Whilst Sky were never going to let VM have this as a service before Sky got its on demand act together, presumably now they're launching the Sky service we're finally going to see the likes of Fringe and Modern Family on demand now too.

9 comments:

David said...

hope we get hd version and not just sd version you know what skys like for withholding channels

David said...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/news/a283997/sky-reshuffles-entertainment-channels.html

Sky has confirmed plans to reshuffle its entertainment channel lineup from next year, including the rebranding of Living TV and arrival of new channel Sky Atlantic.

From early 2011, Sky Atlantic will launch exclusively on Sky to host content from the satellite broadcaster's recent multi-million pound deal with US studio HBO.

After acquiring The Living TV Group from Virgin Media in June, Sky has announced that the Living channel will be rebranded as Sky Living from next year.

The two channels plus Sky1 will appear side-by-side on the front page of Sky's electronic programme guide (EPG) - Sky1 will remain at channel 106, with Sky Living moving to channel 107 and Sky Atlantic coming to channel 108.

Sky1, Sky Living and Sky Atlantic will be available to all existing Sky customers at no extra charge as part of the basic subscription package.

All three channels will also be available in high definition and a selection of their content will be offered on Anytime+, Sky's new video-on-demand service.

Upcoming drama highlights on Sky1 include Mad Dogs, Martina Cole's The Runaway, Sinbad and the return of Chris Ryan's Strike Back. The channel will also air a raft of original British comedy, such as Little Crackers, Stella, Mount Pleasant and This Is Jinsy.

Alongside the rebranding exercise, Sky Living will also see its programming budget increase by 25% to help the channel produce and acquire more original content. The move follows Sky's decision to shut down The Living TV Group's Bravo and Channel One networks to concentrate on the Living brand.

When it launches next year, Sky Atlantic will air a variety of brand new shows from HBO, including Boardwalk Empire, Game Of Thrones, Luck and Tremé, as well as the new series of AMC's Mad Men, poached from the BBC.

"In Sky1, Sky Living and Sky Atlantic we have three outstanding channels which will sit loud and proud at the top of the EPG," said Sophie Turner Laing, Sky's managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations.

"Investment in stand-out content is at the heart of our strategy and we’re delighted to be able to offer customers so much choice and quality across our expanded entertainment lineup.

"Taken together, these channels will have real cut through. Quite simply, they will be channels worth paying for and will give even more customers reasons to choose pay-TV."

oh well know we know we not getting it at all :(

Nialli said...

David: au contraire, mon ami - look carefully at that statement. "Taken together, these channels will have real cut through. Quite simply, they will be channels worth paying for and will give even more customers reasons to choose pay-TV."
Pay TV. Not Sky TV, the platform, otherwise they would have said Sky TV.

David said...

i hope yout right niall mate but i dont trust sky one bit and you know what they are like for withholding channels from us but hope your right and im wrong

Rob Gledhill said...

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/digitaltv/news/a283997/sky-reshuffles-entertainment-channels.html


Satellite Exclusive

Nialli said...

Reading this again (only read it quickly earlier) I could be wrong. The Digital Spy report says "From early 2011, Sky Atlantic will launch exclusively on Sky to host content from the satellite broadcaster's recent multi-million pound deal with US studio HBO."
But then again, DS has not always got these things right and the official press release doesn't say it's exclusively on the Sky platform, nor does other coverage on Sky's EPG shuffle. The Guardian said earlier this month that "BSkyB said it could not at this stage confirm any wholesale deals with other pay-TV operators, such as Virgin Media, to carry Sky Atlantic". If Sky said it was a Sky Exclusive, I'd agree, but it's not from what I've seen so far. The full Sky press release can be found at http://corporate.sky.com/media/press_releases/2010/Sky_confirms_strengthened_line_up.htm

Unknown said...

Entirely predictable behavior from Sky, but it ultimately doesn't matter as anything they claim is exclusive to them is already available for free on bittorrent.

So by all means Sky drones, enjoy Mad Men with new added in wall to wall commercial breaks. The bittorrent version only has the ads Don Draper thinks up in it. Oh, and it's out days before Sky shows it too, and as an added bonus, doesn't even have a massive Sky logo in the corner dirtying our HDTVs.

Square eyes said...

hey guys it's been a while but theres has been nothing really to comment on.

Press release

Back to press releases

01 October 2010
Sky Atlantic HD is new home of HBO & Mad Men

* Sky Atlantic HD will exclusively house HBO's new slate as well as HBO Originals
* Sky secure a life of series deal for exclusive rights to Mad Men from Season 5
* Sky Atlantic to showcase more of the best entertainment content from the US and UK

this was Sky press release on 01/10/10
and as you can see, the content will be exclusive to the channels - as for the channels themselves they are not.

When the deal was completed for the Living channels, part of the agreement was that even if they are renamed, they cannot be removed from another platform.

Now VM as we know are a bit slow at times, but not this time, so stop with the doom & gloom.

Unknown said...

Absolutely agree with everything Moroboshi says. Not with anyone else – burbling on about Sky's future plans and can we be sure it'll be HD etc. And just to add that a lot of us won't touch anything Murdoch with a barge pole because of his long and horribly successful campaign to dumb down and lie to his readers and viewers around the world. So Sky has stolen HBO from us who don't want to go flat out for pay-tv. Do these people also want to see the NHS destroyed and replaced with competing corporations out to maximise their profits? Eh?