BSkyB buys complete HBO TV catalogue

BSkyB has bought the exclusive rights to the entire HBO TV catalogue. This includes a range of American shows, including The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood and The Wire.

The company has signed a deal with US channel HBO, believed to be worth around £150 million over 5 years, which gives Sky access to HBO’s archive as well as forthcoming shows. HBO shows will also be available on Sky+, the catch-up TV service.

This deal means that Sky now has the rights to some shows that are currently being shown by rival channels, such as Curb Your Enthusiasm on Channel 4, and Entourage on ITV2. It will begin showing these series when the current deals have expired.

Martin Scorsese’s gangster drama, Boardwalk Empire, will be the first HBO series to be aired. Starring Steve Buscemi, and set in 1920s Atlantic City, it will be shown shortly after its September debut on HBO in America.

BSkyB has an annual programming budget of around £1.7 billion, most of which goes on sports and film rights. In comparison, Five spends around £165 million on content per year, and BBC2 spends around £500 million.

This follows news today that BSkyB has increased its revenue by 11% in Q2 2010.