Sky purchases rights to air HBO in UK

With all the hubbub of the recast and the three new ladies, something that may have got lost in the mix is this report from The Guardian that British Sky Broadcasting has purchased the rights to all HBO shows past and present. This, of course, includes Game of Thrones.

The satellite TV company has signed a content deal with HBO, the US channel that revolutionised the television market by launching a pay-TV service that screens big-budget dramas. The Sky deal, expected to be announced this morning, will give Sky access to HBO’s archive and all forthcoming shows over the lifetime of the agreement. It is believed to be worth around £150m over five years.

Additionally, Ran from Westeros.org is reporting that the BBC, who initially was going to be a financing partner for Thrones much as they were for Rome, is now out.

Winter Is Coming: Good news and bad news, I guess. Good news in that, from what I hear, Sky does a great job marketing their shows. Unfortunately, as a pay channel the potential viewership and overall exposure is not nearly the same as for a show on the BBC.

As to the BBC not being a financial backer for Thrones, I think it’s a good thing. Yeah, it would have been nice to have a little extra money to add to the budget, but one of the reasons Rome was canceled was because the BBC dropped out after two years and the full budget was too much for HBO to handle. Now HBO can budget Thrones according to what they can afford and they won’t have to worry about another broadcaster having such a huge influence on whether or not the show can stay on the air.

• Published on 07/29/2010 at 8:17 AM CDT
• Last updated on 07/29/2010 at 8:34 AM CDT