Exclusive: Sky Atlantic has renewed its licensing deal with CBS Studios International and picked up the exclusive first run UK pay TV rights to the third season of the Tom Selleck fronted drama series Blue Bloods. The broadcaster has also renewed its deal with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution and acquired the rights to the second season of NBC's musical drama series Smash. My sources also tell me that the channel, as part of an existing deal, has the rights to the sixth season of AMC's Mad Men. And for those that have been asking: as part of the five year deal that BSkyB signed with HBO in 2010, Sky Atlantic continues to hold rights to all of HBO's original programming (with a few exceptions such as True Blood and Eastbound & Down, where first run rights are held by FX UK). As such, Sky Atlantic has the rights to the new seasons of Game of Thrones, Enlightened, Treme, Veep, Boardwalk Empire & more.
Over at Sky Living, I'm told that the channel has renewed its deals with Disney Media Distribution for both Criminal Minds and Grey's Anatomy, with the new seasons of both shows currently scheduled for late 2012 premieres. The broadcaster has also renewed its deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution and picked up the exclusive first run rights to the upcoming eighth season of Fox's long running drama series Bones. I'm being told that the eighth season of Bones is tentatively scheduled to premiere in either late 2012 or early 2013.
Channel 5 has been busy of late. In addition to their previous deals to pick up first run rights to the fifth season of Sons of Anarchy for its 5USA channel and the second season of Alphas for 5*, the company just this past week inked deals with both Warner Bros. International Television Distribution and Disney Media Distribution to pick up the exclusive first run rights to the fifth season of The Mentalist and the second season of Once Upon A Time. My sources are now telling me that Channel 5 has closed deals with CBS Studios International to pick up the thirteenth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the ninth season of CSI: NY, both of which are tentatively scheduled to premiere on Channel 5 in early 2013. Still no word on the fates of Californication and Parenthood and my sources are less than optimistic about the chances of further seasons appearing on 5*.
Universal Networks International has extended it's deal with NBCUniversal International Television Distribution for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and picked up the exclusive first run rights to the show's fourteenth season, which I'm told is currently scheduled to premiere on the company's Universal Channel in early 2013. My sources also tell me that when Universal Networks International closed a deal to pick up the exclusive UK rights to Flashpoint for Universal Channel, it was done as a "life of series" deal. Therefore, Universal Channel hold the rights to the fourth and fifth seasons (or using Universal's titling convention the third and fourth seasons) of the Canadian cop drama. I hear that the season 4 of Flashpoint will premiere on Universal Channel in either late 2012 or early 2013. Also, for those asking, Universal Networks International co-produces Haven with Syfy and Shaw Media and as such retains rights to the show for as long as it continues to be made. I'm told that the current plan in to air Haven season three on Syfy UK in either late 2012 or early 2013.