Sky today confirmed the eagerly awaited launch of Sky Atlantic HD – a brand new channel that will provide the very best in entertainment, drama and films to Sky customers across the UK and Ireland. Bringing together innovative and distinctive original productions from home and abroad, Sky Atlantic will be free and exclusive to all 10 million Sky customers from its launch on 1 stFebruary 2011.
Following Sky's exclusive output deal with HBO and series deals with Lionsgate Television forMad Men and CBS Studios International for Blue Bloods and The Borgias , Sky Atlantic HD will be an exclusive destination for many of the most hotly-anticipated shows in television; as well as home to a raft of innovative UK commissions, including original comedy This Is Jinsy , Paul Abbott's sensational new drama, Hit and Miss, and Sir David Attenborough's ground-breaking documentary, Flying Monsters.
In combination with Sky 1 HD (channel #106) and Sky Living HD (#107), Sky Atlantic HD (#108) will offer Sky customers access to a comprehensive range of subscription content that appeals to all ages and interests, helping to further differentiate pay TV in the areas of entertainment, drama and comedy. As a bonus channel exclusively available to all existing Sky customers, Sky Atlantic HD will create even more value in the Sky subscription, whilst giving others yet another reason to consider Sky. In addition, Sky Atlantic HD programming will also form an integral part of Sky's comprehensive video-on-demand service, Sky Anytime + , which, alongside Sky + , will enable customers to enjoy the best of Sky Atlantic HD whenever they like.
Stuart Murphy, Director of Programmes for Sky 1 HD and Sky Atlantic HD, comments:
“Sky Atlantic HD will be such an incredible channel: seminal, world-class, epic TV all in one place. Unlike other broadcasters, Sky won't hide these series' in the twilight hours – we feel incredibly proud of this content and feel privileged to air it in peak time and in high definition , exclusively for all Sky customers.
“Sky Atlantic HD is unashamedly dedicated to quality. As the home of HBO in the UK, it's the place where the world's best talent – whether on screen or off, American or home-grown – come to do their most creative work. Sky Atlantic HD is a key part of our strategy to help further grow the content gap between what you can get with Sky, and what you can get elsewhere.”
All the major series on Sky Atlantic HD, whether acquisitions or commissions, will be available on-demand through Sky Anytime + , Sky's video-on-demand service. This will also include many HBO originals, such as The Pacific, The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Flight of the Conchords and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Sky Atlantic will also be available in standard definition in non Sky + HD homes, allowing all 10 million Sky homes to enjoy the channel from launch.
Sky Atlantic HD programme highlights :
Boardwalk Empire - HBO's critically acclaimed 12-part smash, from Oscar ® - winning Director Martin Scorsese and Emmy ® Award-winning writer Terence Winter ( The Sopranos ). It stars Steve Buscemi, Kelly Macdonald and Michael Pitt.
Treme - a gripping post-Hurricane Katrina drama created by David Simon and starring John Goodman, Wendell Pierce ( The Wire ) and Kim Dickens ( Deadwood ).
You Don't Know Jack – starring Academy Award ® winner Al Pacino, who makes a rare appearance on television as assisted suicide advocate, Dr Jack Kevorkian.
Entourage returns with the seventh series, and its creators, Julian Farrino and Rob Weiss, have also worked on a brand new series, How To Make It In America, which will make its debut in February.
Weeds - the long-awaited new fourth season of Emmy ® - nominated comedy
Big Love - starring Bill Paxton, Chloë Sevigny and Jeanne Tripplehorn
Flying Monsters - Sir David Attenborough ground-breaking documentary originally aired on Sky 3D on Christmas Day and will now have its 2D premiere on Sky Atlantic HD.
Bored To Death - Jason Schwartzman stars in this smart New York-set comedy about a struggling writer who takes a career U-turn – also starring Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson.
Game of Thrones - based on the best-selling books by George RR Martin, Game of Thrones is an epic medieval fantasy starring Sean Bean, Lena Headey, Mark Addy, Alfie Allen and Peter Dinklange.
In Treatment - Gabriel Byrne stars as Dr Paul Weston, the unorthodox therapist talking his patients through emotional and physical drama in the new second season of the Emmy ® and Golden Globe ® - winning series.
Hit and Miss – a UK original drama and Sky commission, created by one of the country's most revered screenwriters, BAFTA ® and Emmy ® winner Paul Abbott ( Shameless, State of Play ).
This Is Jinsy – a Sky commissioned out-there oddity of a comedy that embraces the eccentric and has all the makings of a cult classic. A pilot episode of This Is Jinsy screened last year, earning a prestigious Rose d'Or award nomination.
Blue Bloods – a brand new police drama and one of the highest rating new show in the US this year, starring Tom Selleck, Len Cariou and Donnie Wahlberg.
Temple Grandin - an HBO feature length film about autism and the rise of Temple Grandin to become one of the America's leading authorities on animal welfare.
Mildred Pierce - a new five-part mini-series from Academy Award-nominated director Todd Haynes, starring Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce and Evan Rachel Wood.
The Borgias - a new CBS Studios drama staring Academy Award ® winner Jeremy Irons as the head of the notorious Borgias dynasty.
Mad Men - the multi award-winning series finds a new home on Sky Atlantic HD for its fifth season.
Plus, Sky Atlantic HD will be the new home for many of the best-loved series ever made, including HBO Originals The Sopranos , Curb Your Enthusiasm , Six Feet Under and Battlestar Galactica .
