Sky Atlantic
| Sky Atlantic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Launched | 1 February 2011 |
| Owned by | BSkyB |
| Picture format |
576i (16:9/4:3) (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audience share |
0.2% ~0.0% (+1) (December 2013, BARB) |
| Slogan | The Home of World Class Television[1]/The Home of HBO[2]/Let The Stories Begin |
| Country | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Broadcast area | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Sister channel(s) |
Challenge, Pick, Sky1, Sky2, Sky Arts, Sky Living, Sky Livingit, Sky Movies, Sky Movies Box Office, Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky Sports F1, Sky Sports News |
| Timeshift service | Sky Atlantic +1 |
| Website | skyatlantic.sky.com |
Availability | |
| Satellite | |
| Sky |
Channel 108 (SD/HD) Channel 173 (+1) Channel 231 (SD) On Demand |
| Streaming media | |
| Sky Go | Watch live (UK and Ireland only) |
| Now TV | Watch live (UK only) |
Sky Atlantic is a television channel owned by British Sky Broadcasting. It launched on 1 February 2011 on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[1][3][4]
Sky Atlantic is available in both standard definition and high definition, the latter on Sky Atlantic HD.[5] Stuart Murphy extended his responsibilities to become director of programmes for Sky1, Sky2, Pick TV and Sky Atlantic.[3] On 5 May 2011, Elaine Pyke, the head of drama at Sky, was promoted to director of Sky Atlantic, reporting to Murphy.[6]
Programmes on the channel are also offered to Sky customers via on-demand channels including the On Demand and Sky Go services. Both BT TV and Virgin Media had held talks with BSkyB over the new channel but have been unable to agree a carriage deal,[7] in Virgin's case due to pricing.[8]
It was announced on 25 October 2010, that Sky Atlantic would launch on Sky channel 108, which was previously occupied by Sky3.[9] Sky Atlantic also utilises the HD swap bouquet system developed by Sky, which switches SD channels with HD channels for HD Pack subscribers, meaning Sky Atlantic HD is on channel 108 and the standard definition version appears on channel 231.[10]
On 25 August 2012, it was announced by Stuart Murphy, director of Sky entertainment channels, that a one hour timeshift of Sky1 and Sky Atlantic would launch in the Autumn of 2012,[11] with the latter launching on 20 September on channel 173.[12]
Programming
Sky Atlantic relies heavily on screenings of US television programmes, with 40% of all programming coming from HBO.[13] Although the channel mainly screens dramas, there are blocks in the schedule dedicated to comedies, movies and a showcase of content from Sky Arts.[14][15] Sky have also committed to commission at least six UK programmes per year for the channel.[16]
The launch of Sky Atlantic followed the broadcaster's £150m,[17] five-year deal to snap up the exclusive UK and Irish TV rights to HBO's entire archive, new HBO programming and a first-look deal on all co-productions.[18] The deal does not cover programmes with pre-existing agreements with other broadcasters, such as the first-run rights to Eastbound & Down and True Blood on FX, until their licence expires.[19] Sky is also understood to have bid at least 25% more than the BBC to acquire Lionsgate Television's Mad Men.[20] On 5 January 2011, Sky secured Blue Bloods and The Borgias for Sky Atlantic in a deal with CBS Studios International.[21]
- 24 - (seasons 7 and 8 only)
- Angels in America
- Awake
- Banshee
- Battlestar Galactica
- Big Love
- Blue Bloods
- Boardwalk Empire
- Bored to Death[22]
- Brand X with Russell Brand
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Empire Falls
- Enlightened
- Entourage
- ER
- Falcón
- Flight of the Conchords
- Friday Night Lights
- Funny or Die Presents
- Game of Thrones
- Generation Kill
- Girls
- Hit & Miss
- House
- House of Lies
- How to Make It in America
- Hung
- In Treatment
- Inside the Actors Studio
- Luck
- Mad Men[23] (season 5-)
- Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge
- Mildred Pierce
- Networks of Power
- Nurse Jackie - (season 3 only)[24]
- Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States
- Prison Break - (season 4 only)
- Ray Donovan
- Seinfeld
- Six Feet Under
- Smash
- Star Trek: Enterprise
- Tell Me You Love Me
- The Borgias
- The British
- The Following
- The Mind of the Married Man
- The Newsroom
- The Pacific
- The Sopranos
- The Tunnel
- The Wire
- Thirtysomething
- This is Jinsy
- Treme
- True Blood
- Veep
- Vegas
- Weeds
Most watched programmes
The following is a list of the ten most watched shows on Sky Atlantic, based on Live +7 data supplied by BARB up to 21 April 2013.[25] The number of viewers does not include repeats.
| Rank | Show | Episode | Number of Viewers | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Game of Thrones | 1.01 - Winter is Coming | 1,454,000 | 18 April 2011 |
| 2 | The Borgias | 1.01 - The Poisoned Chalice | 1,325,000 | 13 August 2011 |
| 3 | Game of Thrones | 1.10 - Fire and Blood | 1,314,000 | 20 June 2011 |
| 4 | Game of Thrones | 1.06 - A Golden Crown | 1,182,000 | 23 May 2011 |
| 5 | The Following | 1.02 - Chapter Two | 1,181,000 | 29 January 2013 |
| 6 | The Following | 1.06 - The Fall | 1,174,000 | 26 February 2013 |
| 7 | Game of Thrones | 3.01 - Valar Dohaeris | 1,173,000 | 1 April 2013 |
| 8 | Game of Thrones | 1.02 - The Kingsroad | 1,158,000 | 25 April 2011 |
| 9 | Game of Thrones | 1.07 - You Win or You Die | 1,157,000 | 30 May 2011 |
| 10 | Game of Thrones | 1.03 - Lord Snow | 1,156,000 | 2 May 2011 |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Sky Atlantic: The Home of World Class Television". British Sky Broadcasting. 23 December 2010.
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic UK". British Sky Broadcasting. YouTube. 23 December 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sky Atlantic HD is new home of HBO & Mad Men". British Sky Broadcasting. 1 October 2010.
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic to launch today". RTE News. 2011-02-01. Retrieved 2011-02-01.
- ↑ "Sky to launch Sky Atlantic channel". Digital Spy. 1 October 2010.
- ↑ "BSkyB promotes Elaine Pyke to Sky Atlantic director". The Guardian. 5 May 2011.
- ↑ "Rivals miss out as Sky launches Atlantic channel". The Independent. 6 January 2011.
- ↑ "Virgin Media to miss out on Sky Atlantic". Digital Spy. 4 February 2011.
- ↑ "Sky confirms strengthened entertainment line-up". British Sky Broadcasting. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic to launch next month". Digital Spy. 5 January 2011.
- ↑ Andy Gallagher, Josh Strauss, and Emily Brinnand (25 August 2012). "Sky's Stuart Murphy announces the launch of two new channels - video". guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic +1 launching, September 20th". imediamonkey. 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "BSkyB bets on Sky Atlantic to boost subscriber numbers". The Guardian. 31 January 2011.
- ↑ "Welcome to Sky Atlantic HD" (PDF). Sky Media. 16 November 2010.
- ↑ "Programme Information Highlights; February Sky Atlantic" (PDF). Sky Programme Information. 21 December 2010.
- ↑ "Sky announces Sky Atlantic as ‘home of HBO’ in UK". Screen. 5 January 2011.
- ↑ "BSkyB to launch Sky Atlantic". guardian.co.uk. 1 October 2010.
- ↑ "Sky agrees output deal to become the UK home of HBO". British Sky Broadcasting. 29 July 2010.
- ↑ "FX UK 'still owns True Blood rights'". Digital Spy. 29 July 2010.
- ↑ "BSkyB poised to snatch Mad Men from BBC". guardian.co.uk. 30 September 2010.
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic HD to bring the very best in entertainment and drama exclusively to Sky customers from 1st February 2011". British Sky Broadcasting. 5 January 2011.
- ↑ http://www.skymedia.co.uk/_downloads/823/Sky%20Atlantic%20HD-%20no%20logos%20%28W%29.pdf#page=30
- ↑ "Sky Atlantic TV listings". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-05-05.
- ↑ "Nurse Jackie moves to Sky Atlantic". guardian.co.uk. 15 June 2011.
- ↑ BARB, via
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