Sky and HBO have announced plans to co-produce new, original drama as part of an extended partnership between the two companies.
It means Sky Atlantic will continue to have access to first run content from HBO, in the UK and Ireland, through until 2020.
The co-operation will extend to shows with a view to broadcast in the UK, Ireland and the United States. Such shows will be jointly funded by the two broadcasters.
The co-production agreement builds on the 2010 partnership between Sky and HBO that has spawned nearly a dozen “home of HBO” networks throughout Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.
In addition to linear broadcast, the output deal supports a broad range of multiplatform rights, ensuring HBO content will continue to be available live and on demand not just on TV, but online and on mobile through Sky Go. Sky Atlantic is also available live and on demand through NOW TV, Sky’s new internet TV service.
Jeremy Darroch, Sky’s Chief Executive, commented: “HBO is synonymous with must-see TV that pushes creative boundaries, so it’s no wonder that Sky Atlantic is such a hit with our customers. By expanding our relationship with HBO, we are strengthening our commitment to bring customers the very best content from around the world. Original production is the natural next step for our partnership with HBO and we are enormously excited at the prospect of working together to realise our shared vision for epic drama of a truly spectacular scale.”
Richard Plepler, CEO of Home Box Office, added: “The deal with Sky was trailblazing in that it served as a model for similar arrangements we entered into around the world, with Sky Atlantic held up as the gold standard. The team at Sky are true partners and the extension and expansion of our relationship feels like an obvious next step. We are proud to have HBO programming remain a part of the Sky offering and excited to add to it with our joint undertaking in new production.”
Separately, Sky Sports has secured six long-term rights agreements across six different sports including the British & Irish Lions, Super League rugby, England overseas cricket, Scottish football, speedway and sports entertainment leader, WWE.
