Detective drama Broadchurch is set to become the centrepiece of ITV Encore when the new paid-for channel launches on 9 June on Sky.
The eight-part drama, which ITV this week said would see the return of David Tennant and Olivia Colman for a second series, will air in double bill slots across Monday to Thursday during the opening week on Sky channel 123.
Dedicated to the broadcaster’s British drama, ITV Encore is to become ITV’s first new channel in eight years, with other scheduled programmes including Mrs Biggs, The Ice Cream Girls, Poirot, Lucan, Whitechapel and DCI Banks.
Available on Sky’s platforms, the channel forms part of a wider four year partnership with Sky and is to become ITV’s biggest partnership with a platform operator.
“Drama is a genre that we know audiences love, and we have worked with some fantastic talent, both on and off screen, to build a strong stable of series over the years,” said ITV’s director of television, Peter Fincham.
“ITV Encore will give viewers the opportunity to revisit or indeed to discover, a wealth of ITV drama from recent times.”
Commenting on the launch earlier this year, ITV’s chief executive, Adam Crozier, said that ITV Encore is “right in line with [ITV’s] strategy of growing non-advertising revenues while at the same time creating even greater opportunities to showcase new drama.”
The trailer for ITV Encore can be watched here.
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