Sky Is The Home of Drama This Summer

The end of the summer is approaching, but there’s still plenty of time to get started on watching some of the best television box sets from across the pond.

If you’re looking for a way to make the most of our longer days, then head on over to Sky: the home of drama this Summer.

Sky’s eclectic collection of US drama includes everything from arguably the biggest show in the world Game of Thrones® to the critically-acclaimed Westworld. But don’t take our word for it, continue reading to browse the best of the US drama available to Sky and Now TV subscribers.

What to watch on Sky this Summer:

Game of Thrones®

NEW EPISODES EVERY MONDAY ON SKY ATLANTIC AT 2AM AND 9PM

Danaerys Targaryen has returned to her homeland in her quest to win the Iron Throne, but can King in the North Jon Snow convince her of the threat beyond the wall?

Westworld

SERIES 1 AVAILABLE ON SKY BOX SETS

An ambitious and terrifying virtual reality experience gets a whole lot less virtual, in this J.J. Abrams-produced take on the dawn of artificial intelligence.

Ray Donovan

SEASONS 1-4 AVAILABLE ON SKY BOX SETS
SEASON 5 STARTS ON 9PM AUGUST 16TH ON SKY ATLANTIC

The Russian mob have gone and the Donovans are back on top in season five – but how long can their good fortune continue when the depths of the Los Angeles underworld return to claim them?

The Blacklist

SERIES 1-3 AVAILABLE ON SKY BOX SETS

Criminal Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington has evaded capture for decades, until one day he willingly turns himself in and offers his aid in capturing some of the world’s most notorious criminals. His one condition? He will only speak to a rookie agent named Elizabeth Keene.

Grey’s Anatomy

SERIES 1-12 AVAILABLE ON SKY BOX SETS

Seattle-based medical drama following the personal lives and careers of a group of doctors at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, including Meredith Grey – the daughter of a famous surgeon.

Discovery and Sky agree last minute carriage deal

Discovery Communications and Sky have resolved the pay dispute that led to Discovery threatening to pull twelve channels from the platform.

Shortly before the deal deadline last night (January 31), a last-minute agreement was reached between Discovery and Sky to keep Discovery’s channels on the Sky platform.

Neither Discovery nor Sky has admitted to backing down on their demands for the deal. Sky said that Discovery “accepted the proposal we gave them a week ago” and that they had not agreed to their increased price demands.

Meanwhile, a Discovery spokesperson said: “The deal we reached with Sky is meaningfully better than our former agreement and their proposal. Furthermore, our new arrangement enables us to control our destiny in more ways, with even more opportunities to invest and launch channels and consumer services.”

The new multi-year deal means Discovery Channel, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Discovery History, Discovery Shed, Home and Health, DMAX, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo will remain on Sky services, while Discovery Channel will remain on Now TV.

Last week, it was revealed Discovery were threatening to remove their portfolio of channels from Sky after negotiations over a new carriage deal broke down.

Discovery claimed they were not being offered a “fair price” for their content, and later accused Sky of using its dominant market position to “further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters”.

They suggested Sky were looking for a way to cut costs after agreeing an extra £314m for Premier League rights in a new deal.

Sky hit back with assurances that they too only wanted a “fair price” and never led the negotiation table. They pointed out that Discovery’s share of viewers was down year on year, a fact that contradicted the official statement from Discovery’s portfolio.

Sky vs Discovery row: Who is right?

Last week, it was announced Discovery Communications’ portfolio of channels would be removed from the Sky platform after negotiations broke down over a pay dispute.

Discovery Communications has thirteen channels available on Sky and NOW TV, including Discovery Channel, TLC, ID, Eurosport 1, Eurosport 2, Quest, Discovery History, Animal Planet, Discovery Shed, Home and Health, DMax, Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo.

If Discovery Communications and Sky don’t reach an agreement, the above channels will be pulled from Sky from tomorrow, February 1.

What’s the row about?

Discovery’s argument

Discovery say that they are not receiving a “fair price” from Sky for their content. Susanna Dinnage, MD of Discovery Networks UK, has suggested the media giant is using “its dominant market position to further its own commercial interest over those of viewers and independent broadcasters.”

“Pay television needs to be about more than just films and football. The consumer can’t be expected to fund all of Sky’s investments and get less and less choice in return.”

The implication is that Sky are looking for a way to cut costs after agreeing a new deal for Premier League rights that will increase costs by some £314m.

Sky’s response

Sky say they are prepared to pay a “fair price” for Discovery’s portfolio, but must also account for the long-term fall in Discovery ratings.

In a statement, Sky said: “We were prepared to pay a fair price for the Discovery and Eurosport channels and invest more in those channels to make them even better for our customers.

“We have offered hundreds of millions of pounds to Discovery, a US$12bn American business, but that wasn’t enough. They asked the Sky Group to pay close to £1bn for their portfolio of channels, many of which are in decline.

“Sky doesn’t boot channels off our platform. If Discovery don’t want their channels to disappear, as their public campaign suggests, they could have made arrangement to stay on Sky, including free to air with advertising funding or with their own subscription, but they’ve chosen not to do so.”

Who is right?

There is some disagreement over the change in Discovery’s viewership over the last few years. In Discovery’s official portfolio, they claim that their viewings share has increased by more than 20% since 2010. According to Discovery, 5.5 million people watch their channels on Sky or streaming service NOW TV.

However, Sky claim that Discovery’s linear viewings are down by 15% in the last year and its share of viewing is down 20% compared to 2006. Discovery has not denied this but has pointed out Sky’s overall viewing ratings have declined by 22%.

The question is whether this possible decline in ratings is worth a huge reduction in choice for Sky customers. Discovery’s argument that Sky is choosing mainstream entertainment over specialist individual stories remains. Their channels offer many shows unavailable elsewhere, including Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress on TLC, Gold Rush and Idris Elba: Fighter on Discovery and the US Open on Eurosport.

It could be asked if the money is really an issue, given the average Sky Entertainment bundle including Discovery Channels has increased in price by 50% since 2006.

We are living in a golden age of television, but this did not come about in a vacuum. A phenomenal increase in channels over the last decade has led to an enormous increase in competition for viewers. In order to attract viewers, channels must put more imagination, effort and resources into their programming than ever before.

In 2017, television fans are watching some of the highest quality programming in decades. It has happened because of an increase in consumer choice. Any moves to inhibit and damage this progress must thus be seen as a move to damage the customer experience. And that is not okay.

For information on how you can help #KeepDiscovery on Sky, please visit http://www.keepdiscovery.co.uk/.

Sky TV is launching without a satellite dish for the first time

Sky has announced its latest plan to challenge rival Netflix for the telly-streaming crown.

Sky will launch their television services without the need for a satellite dish for the very first time in the UK in 2018. The move is hoped to bring Sky TV to the millions of homes currently unable to install a satellite dish.

The services will run using only a Sky box and the internet.

The news comes after a successful launch for Sky Q, Sky’s “next-generation” TV platform, which allows access to all of Sky’s content in one place and on the move.

The Sky Q box is now the standard Sky box, with a brand new interface and TV guide, plus the ability to access apps such as YouTube. It’s currently the box of choice for more than 600,000 customers in the UK.

According to Sky, the change to Sky Q has already changed Sky customer viewing habits. Sky Q customers are watching 10% more TV compared to those with Sky+.

Sky UK Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen said: “This year is about giving our customers even more quality, choice and value.

We’re planning to launch our Sky TV service without the need for a satellite dish for the very first time, giving millions more homes the chance to enjoy TV with Sky Q.

We are continuing to build our European TV production studio, with 100 original series going into production.”

New Sky Kids app update allows users to download favourite shows for offline viewing

The Sky Kids app has been updated to allow users to download content to watch offline.

From today, the Sky Kids app will allow customers with Sky Go Extra or Sky Multiscreen to download their children’s favourite television shows to watch on the go. These shows can be watched without internet access, and thus are perfect for long summer car journeys with the kids.

Sky has said they are pleased with the response to the app, which launched earlier this year. Hundreds of thousands have already downloaded Sky Kids, streaming over 15 million episodes of children’s programming.

The new update will also include a Sleep Mode feature for parents to set limits on how much time children can spend on the app, and what times they can use it. This is to help parents out with maintaining bedtime schedules and staying in control of their children.

Children will receive a five minute warning that sleep time is scheduled to occur, and five minutes later their Sky Buddy will appear on the screen to rest.

Sky announce slate of original new drama for 2016/2017

Sky has announced it will be working with Academy Award, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy winners to create six new original dramas to air later this year and in 2017.

Stars such as Idris Elba, Dawn French and Julia Stiles are confirmed to play leading roles in the upcoming dramas, which will see Sky build on the success of last year’s original programming, which included critical and ratings success stories such as The Last Panthers and Stan Lee’s Lucky Man.

The six new originals include Guerilla, which combines the talents of Oscar-winning writer John Ridley with Golden Globe winner Idris Elba for a love story set in 1970s London – a capital city in the midst of political chaos. It will tell the story of a politically active couple’s descent into radical militancy after they free a political prisoner. Elba will co-star and produce, while Ridley will write and direct episodes. The series is a co-production by Fifty Fathoms and ABC Signature.

Next on the slate is Tin Star, the story of a small town’s descent into corruption, which is set to star BAFTA award winner Tim Roth alongside the Emmy-nominated Christina Hendricks. It follows a retired police detective who moves to the Rocky Mountains to start a new life in the idyllic rural community, but quickly learns what he believed was a paradise has become overrun by drugs, prostitution and organised crime due to the opening of a new oil refinery in the area. Tin Star will be produced by the makers of Broadchurch and Humans, Kudos.

Dawn French will lead the cast of a new story for Sky 1 about love, food and infidelity in the stunning countryside of Cornwall in Delicious. French stars as Gina, a chef who was once married to the successful entrepreneur, chef and hotelier Leo Vincent. Leo has since accrued a lot of his wealth due to Gina’s influence and shares the fruits of his labour with new wife Sam, with whom Gina becomes friendly with. However, Leo is keeping a secret that may put all three of their lives into jeopardy. Delicious will be produced by Bandit Television.

Julia Stiles will star in Riviera, a glamorous new Sky Atlantic thriller from the mind of Academy Award-winning writer and director Neil Jordan. Set in the world of the ultra-rich, Stiles will play Georgina, the new wife of a billionaire. When her husband dies in suspicious circumstances, Georgina is horrified to learn that much of her husband’s fortune came from criminal activities and his death has left her in charge of maintaining his assets. Overnight, she inherits her husband’s mansion, family and vicious rivals. To survive, she must learn the ways of a criminal – and fast. Riviera will be produced by Archery Pictures.

The producers of Downton Abbey, Carnival Films, are back with this Western-themed series Jamestown for Sky 1. Set in the seventeenth century, Jamestown is the story of a group of young British women who make the journey to the New World and leave their old lives behind. They must battle confused locals and quickly adjust to their new lives on the other side of the world. Ultimately, these women will become the pioneers of a new way of life as they search for love, power and adventure.

Game of Thrones star John Bradley will star in a spectacular new Sky 1 drama The Last Dragonslayer, scheduled for Christmas 2016. Bradley, Ricky Tomlinson and Ellise Chappell will lead the cast in the adaptation of the first of Jasper Fforde’s critically-acclaimed fantasy novels, which are about orphan and titular Dragonslayer Jennifer Strange. The Last Dragonslayer is magical new series, which will build upon the success of last year’s Fungus the Bogeyman. It will be produced by Blueprint Pictures and GroupM Entertainment.

The six new shows will join the existing eight original Sky dramas scheduled to air in the next few months, including returnees Penny Dreadful, Fortitude, Stan Lee’s Lucky Man and Agatha Raisin as well as new or currently airing series The Tunnel: Sabotage, The Pope, Harlan Coben’s The Five, Hooten & The Lady and Jane Seymour.