Sky Atlantic HD to Launch with Bulked Up Slate

LONDON: Sky Atlantic HD will launch to some 10 million customers across the U.K. and Ireland on February 1, with a lineup that includes the recently acquired CBS Studios International series Blue Bloods and The Borgias.

The new service aims to provide the best in entertainment, drama and films to Sky customers in the U.K. and Ireland. Sky signed an exclusive output deal with HBO, bringing shows such as Boardwalk Empire, Treme, The Wire, Six Feet Under and The Sopranos to the network. A series deal with Lionsgate Television for Mad Men is in place as well. There’s also a raft of U.K. commissions, including the new Paul Abbott drama Hit and Miss, set to air in summer 2011. Further originals include the comedy This is Jinsy and Sir David Attenborough’s documentary Flying Monsters.

Stuart Murphy, the director of programmes for Sky 1 HD and Sky Atlantic HD, commented: “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, in high definition, exclusively for all Sky customers.

"Sky Atlantic HD is unashamedly dedicated to quality. As the home of HBO in the U.K., it’s the place where the world’s best talent—whether on screen or off, American or home-grown—come to do some of 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.”