Sky snatches Mad Men series 5 from the BBC
So it turns out the speculation is true, Mad Men series 5 has been snapped up by Sky and will air on a new Sky HD channel, Atlantic HD, launching in 2011.
Mad Men series 4 is currently running on BBC Four and BBC HD, but this will be its last outing on the Beeb.
Sky has secured a "life of series" deal for exclusive rights to Mad Men from the next series. The BAFTA award-winning programme made history as the only cable show to win back-to-back best drama Emmy Awards and is the only series to win the Golden Globe Award for best drama for three consecutive years.
In a separate development, Sky Atlantic HD will also exclusively show HBO's forthcoming new series in the UK and Ireland, including Boardwalk Empire, the Prohibiition-era drama from Martin Scorsese, as well as fantasy drama Game of Thrones and Treme, which chronicles the rebuilding of new Orleans after the devastation of hurricane Katrina.
Classic HBO series such as The Sopranos, The Wire and Six Feet Under will also move to Sky Atlantic HD.
Sophie Turner Laing, Sky's managing director for entertainment, says: "Sky Atlantic HD will be an extraordinary TV channel. It will have compulsive television that pushes creative boundaries and tells great stories."
She adds that Sky Atlantic HD will also offer a range of exclusive new UK programming as part of the satellite broadcaster's "growing commitment to original production". Further details to be announced in due course.
Boardwalk Empire will begin on Atlantic HD from February 2011, while Game of Thrones and Treme both start in April 2011.
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Comments
No, not a premium channel - will be part of the Variety pack, apparently...
People moan about the TV License fee, yet are content to pay up to �80 a month for Sky TV & all its extra packages glory! (at the extreme end of their scale)
I can barely watch 40 mins a day, so can't justify even the basic �17. I'd be happy if Freesat were to add a few channels like DAVE & maybe poach/beg a Discovery channel for free. Doubt it will happen
When I do have a moment to watch Telly, I DON'T WANT ANY AD BREAKS! The Beeb at least gives me that!
BBC World / Oceans in HD, pure class! Its what I pay my TV license for!
That & their gr8 coverage of F1, & you can't beat the Beebs RED Button!
I cant wait for F1 in HD next year on BBC HD!
I'll bet Sky will be sniffing around when the BBC's contract nears its end!
Sad to see Mad Men go, but also happy that the BBC is not getting into a bidding war with the Murdoch Clans infinitely deep pockets.
Such is life.....
So once again Sky wait till it catches on and outbids everyone because they can. This has got to stop. If a series is started on a channel, they must have first refusal regardless of higher bids.
As for Sky Atlantic - this is another money making exercise for the mugs out there who'll pay a premium just catch a handful of their favourite shows. Wait for the DVD/Blu Ray of all your programmes, it'll often be cheaper than paying a TV subscription. And you won't be bombarded with ads.
Linear TV is on the way out anyway, Sky - your days are numbered!!
Also sounds like a premium channel we will be expected to pay even more money for, not that I am cynical about the Murdoch empire being greedy.
Well that is extremely annoying. That presumably means I have to wait to 2012 for the blu-ray. Yet another reason to curse the Murdoch clan.