WATCH VIDEO Spike is to make its UK debut on April 15 with a mix of acquired content and original commissions.
The Viacom TV channel will be available free-to-view from the majority of UK platforms including Sky, Freesat and Freeview.
Ben Frow, Channel 5’s programme director, whose editorial team will oversee commissioning, scheduling and acquisitions for the new channel, said: “Spike is a driven, high-energy channel offering a point of view and programme mix I think is different from anything else on British TV right now. I can’t wait to see our viewers embrace this exhilarating new channel.”
The schedule will see the first screening of Breaking Bad in its entirety – the show was previously dropped by Channel 5’s previous owners due to poor audiences. Spike will also carry the most recent series of The Walking Dead.
Original commissions will feature prominently on Spike from launch. Police Interceptors Unleashed marks a return to British TV screens for actor and former professional footballer, Vinnie Jones, who will front the series, following the work of the high-speed police interception unit. Another new series, Tattoo Disasters UK, will seek out some of the most painful examples of British body art and the individuals having to learn to live with their inky mistakes.
