Sky Touts Entertainment Offerings

LONDON: As part of an effort to strengthen its lineup of entertainment channels, Sky has positioned Sky1, the rebranded Sky Living and the brand-new service Sky Atlantic to sit side-by-side on the front page of its electronic programme guide (EPG) in 2011.

Sky1 remains at 106, while Sky Living—rebranded from Living, the channel bought as part of Virgin Media Television in July—replaces Sky2 at 107, with Sky Atlantic at 108. All three channels will also be available in HD and a selection of programming will be available on Sky’s VOD service, SkyAnytime+.

Sky1 airs shows such as Throne, Must be the Music, Got to Dance, Chris Ryan’s Strike Back, An Idiot Abroad and Pineapple Dance Studio. The channel will continue its shift toward drama and comedy over the coming months. Upcoming drama highlights include Mad Dogs, Martina Cole’s The Runaway, Sinbad and the return of Chris Ryan’s Strike Back. New comedy includes Little Crackers, Stella, Mount Pleasant and This is Jinsy.

Sky Living features shows such as Britain’s Next Top Model, Four Weddings, Chuck and the upcoming British drama Bedlam. The channel will be rebranded as Sky Living from early 2011 and will see a 25-percent increase in on-screen investment.

Sky Atlantic is a new channel, launching in early 2011, that will showcase a lineup of HBO series, including Boardwalk Empire and the forthcoming Games of Thrones, Luck and Treme. Sky Atlantic will also be the exclusive home for Mad Men in 2011.

Sophie Turner Laing, the managing director of entertainment, news and broadcast operations at Sky, commented: "In Sky1, Sky Living and Sky Atlantic we have three outstanding channels which will sit loud and proud at the top of the EPG. Investment in stand-out content is at the heart of our strategy and we’re delighted to be able to offer customers so much choice and quality across our expanded entertainment lineup. Taken together, these channels will have real cut through. Quite simply, they will be channels worth paying for and will give even more customers reasons to choose pay TV."