Sky TV is adding another BBC-branded channel to its offering from the beginning of October. It comes with the promising title of “BBC First”, and its launch publicity promises it will be the “go-to destination for premium British drama”.
However, if the branding implies it’s where Sky subscribers will see the debut of new shows from the British broadcaster, this isn’t borne out by what the channel is offering. Much of it has already screened in recent years on Sky’s BBC UKTV channel, Prime (now Sky Open) or TVNZ. The channel is essentially a second-window library channel – only one 2024 series is available at launch.
The channel’s addition is the result of Sky securing a multi-year, wide-ranging deal earlier this year with BBC Studios, the commercial, internationally focused production and distribution arm of the broadcaster.
As well as filling a linear broadcast channel with UK drama, Sky gets a deeper back catalogue of BBC shows available on its Neon and SkyGo streaming and catch-up platforms.
BBC First’s back-to-back drama offering complements the long-established BBC UKTV and a schedule currently dominated by panel shows, soaps and cosy whodunnits.
The most recent show on BBC First is The Jetty, a crime drama starring Jenna Coleman, which had already debuted on Neon at the time of its UK release in July (you can read the Listener’s story about The Jetty here).
Among long-running BBC series that will be broadcast from their beginnings are the first 11 seasons of Call the Midwife, 13 seasons of Death in Paradise (as well as its newer spin-offs Beyond Paradise and Return to Paradise), five seasons of DCI Banks, and four seasons of detective series Unforgotten. All three seasons of the Jane Austen-inspired period drama Sanditon will be in the schedule (and available to stream). But it’s a bodice- and bonnet-free timetable otherwise, with the line-up dominated by detectives. That includes recent seasons of forensics dramas Silent Witness and Traces. Also in the mix is the first season of Irish family mystery Smother, as well as a reprise of 2023 mini-series Stonehouse, which tells the true story of the British politician who attempted to fake his own death.
The arrival of BBC First on Sky here follows a shake-up of BBC outlets in Australia. Foxtel – the pay-TV equivalent to Sky TV – has ditched all of its BBC-branded channels, including its own “BBC First”, which it has had since 2014.
The Britbox streaming service, one jointly owned by BBC Studios and UK broadcaster ITV, is showing more current content in Australia since the Foxtel move.
Given the recent Sky-BBC deal, as well as the reliance of TVNZ and Warner Bros Discovery/Three on getting first-run BBC premium drama for their respective streaming platforms and occasional linear broadcast, it would seem to indicate Britbox is a long way from entering the small New Zealand streaming market.
But the big US streamers have been tapping the BBC production line for a decade and some big-budget shows just aren’t available to NZ broadcasters with BBC Studios in joint productions. For example, the latest Doctor Who series has gone to Disney+, while the new series about Prince Andrew’s infamous BBC interview, A Very Royal Scandal, is another co-production with Amazon Prime that is showing on Prime Video in NZ.
BBC First will be on Sky channel 207 from 3pm on October 1.
