Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited that launched in 2011 and broadcasts in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel airs original British-produced dramas like Fortitude, Tin Star, and Gangs of London, but is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States. It previously held the domestic rights to HBO programming from January 2011 to March 2026, and Showtime programming from January 2016 to December 2021. It is available on the Sky satellite TV platform (including Sky Go and Now), and Virgin Media.
Sky Deutschland broadcasts a German-language version of the channel in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, while Sky Italia broadcasts an Italian-language version of the channel in Italy. Their programming is also dominated by acquired series, usually dubbed in the domestic language. The Italian channel also premieres Sky Originals produced in the country, like Gomorrah, The Young Pope, and ZeroZeroZero.
Background Launch and availability It was announced on 25 October 2010 that Sky Atlantic would launch on Sky channel 108, which was previously occupied by Sky 3. Sky Atlantic launched on 1 February 2011 on Sky in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
At launch, Stuart Murphy was the director of programmes for Sky One, Sky Two, Pick and Sky Atlantic. On 5 May 2011, Elaine Pyke, the head of drama at Sky, was promoted to director of Sky Atlantic, reporting to Murphy. Programmes on the channel are also offered to Sky customers via on-demand channels including the On Demand and Sky Go services and Now. Both BT TV and Virgin Media had held talks with Sky over the new channel but have been unable to agree a carriage deal, in Virgin's case due to pricing. On 23 February 2026, Virgin Media O2 announced that Sky Atlantic would be added to Virgin Media's Stream and TV 360 packages beginning on 1 April under a new deal with Sky.
Additional channels A one-hour timeshift of Sky Atlantic started broadcasting on 20 September 2012 on channel 173 as Sky Atlantic +1. It moved to channel 170 on 9 June 2015 as part of a reshuffle which also included the closure of Sky 3D, Sky Livingit becoming Real Lives and Sky Arts 1 and Sky Arts 2 merging to become simply Sky Arts. It moved to channel 217 on 18 July 2017 as part of the Sky Sports reshuffle which included Sky Sports Mix moving to entertainment, and again to 208 on 1 May 2018 as part of Sky's major EPG reshuffle due to Sky Atlantic being channel 108.
Sky Atlantic was available in both standard definition and high definition, the latter on Sky Atlantic HD. Sky Atlantic also utilises the HD swap bouquet system developed by Sky, which switches SD channels with HD channels for HD Pack subscribers, meaning Sky Atlantic HD is on channel 108 and the standard definition version appears on channel 808.
Sky Atlantic VIP was a rewards channel for subscribers of Sky TV who had been with Sky for two or more years and for subscribers who had the Sky Original Bundle (later Sky Entertainment pack, then Sky Signature pack). The HD version also required the HD pack in the UK and the Sky Box Sets pack in Ireland. The channel only broadcast brand new episodes of a popular show a week or so before being shown on the main Sky Atlantic channel. An example of this is when episodes of Riviera were shown first on Sky Atlantic VIP, then a week or so later on Sky Atlantic. Sky Atlantic VIP was under Sky VIP's "See-It-First" offer. Sky VIP is a rewards programme for long-term Sky subscribers. When the channel was not broadcasting a brand new episode of a programme, the channel was off-air resulting in the channel being on-air only for a few hours per week. The channel only broadcast adverts for programmes on Sky channels. The SD version was on Sky channel 994 with the HD version on channel 995. The channel closed on 12 June 2019.
In January 2024, select programming began being simulcast on Sky Showcase until its shutdown in February 2026.
Acquisitions Sky Atlantic relies heavily on screenings of US television programmes, with more than 50% of all programming coming from HBO. Although the channel mainly screens dramas, blocks in the channel's schedule were dedicated to comedies and movies. The launch of Sky Atlantic in 2011 followed the broadcaster's £150m, five-year deal to buy exclusive UK and Ireland television rights to HBO's entire archive, new HBO programming and a first-look deal on all co-productions. Although it had been renewed since, the exclusivity deal with HBO expired on 26 March 2026 with the launch of the HBO Max streaming service in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. In December 2024, the existing deal between Sky and Warner Bros. Discovery was updated to include life-of-series rights to all HBO programming released before the expiry date, including House of the Dragon, The Last of Us, The White Lotus, Euphoria, and Dune: Prophecy. All future HBO original programming, like Harry Potter, would be released exclusively on HBO Max. Sky still planned to make new acquisitions via separate agreements on a programme-by-programme basis, while new series in existing franchises would continue to be released on Sky as "co-exclusives".
In January 2016, Sky expanded the acquired programming on Atlantic after purchasing the broadcast rights to Showtime programming; however, Sky Atlantic did not broadcast all Showtime programmes, as some series would later air on Channel 4 as part of a separate deal. The deal with Showtime expired in December 2021, with all future series becoming exclusive to the Paramount+ streaming service which launched in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy in 2022, while a separate agreement allowed Billions to continue on Sky.
In 2025, Sky started acquiring several series from Peacock. In early 2026, they signed first-look deals with Starz and Canal+ that would involve co-commissioning future projects together.
Current programming
Drama Title Genre Premiere Series Length Status Notes The Iris Affair Thriller Pending Under Salt Marsh Crime thriller Renewed Prisoner Thriller Renewed
Co-productions Title Genre Partner/Country Premiere Series Length Status Notes Gangs of London Action crime drama AMC/United States Renewed Sweetpea Dark comedy drama Starz/United States Series 2 due to premiere in November 2026 The Day of the Jackal Spy thriller Peacock/United States Series 2 due to premiere in 2027 Fightland Crime drama Starz/United States 27 August 2026 Pending War Legal drama anthology HBO/United States 2 October 2026 Series 1 ongoingRenewed
Acquired programming
Dune: Prophecy The Five-Star Weekend The Gilded Age Heated Rivalry House of the Dragon It: Welcome to Derry A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms The Last of Us The Miniature Wife Task The Terror (series 3) True Detective The White Lotus
Upcoming programming Drama Title Genre Premiere Series Length Status Notes The Death of Sherlock Holmes Mystery drama 2027 In-production Meantime Crime thriller 2027 In-production Charmer Romantic drama In-production The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Neo-noir drama Series order
Acquired programming Crystal Lake (19 October 2026) Yaga (31 October 2026) The Good Daughter (12 November 2026) Superfakes (2027)
Former programming Drama Title Genre Original Broadcast Series NotesHit & Miss Crime drama 2012 The British Docudrama 2012 Fortitude Psychological thriller 2015–18 Riviera Crime drama 2017–20 Tin Star Crime drama 2017–20 Save Me Mystery drama 2018–20 Retitled Save Me Too for the second series Little Birds Historical romance drama 2020 The Fear Index Thriller 2022 This England Biographical drama 2022 Atomic Action drama 2025 Amadeus Historical drama 2025 Possession Supernatural thriller 2026
Comedy Title Genre Original Broadcast Series NotesThis is Jinsy Comedy 2011–14 Previously aired the pilot episode on BBC ThreeWalking and Talking Teen comedy 2012 Hunderby Historical dark comedy 2012–15 Common Ground Comedy 2013 Mr. Sloane Historical comedy 2014 Doll & Em (series 2) Comedy 2015 Previously aired on Sky Living for series 1.Camping Comedy 2016 The Trip (series 3) Sitcom 2017 Previously aired on BBC Two for series 1–2. Moved to Sky One for series 4. I Hate Suzie Dark comedy drama 2020–22 Retitled I Hate Suzie Too for the second series Dreamland Comedy 2023 Small Town, Big Story Dark comedy drama 2025 The Death of Bunny Munro Dark comedy 2025
Unscripted Title Genre Original Broadcast Series NotesThronecast Talk show 2011–19 Aftershow for Game of ThronesThe Devil's Dinner Party Game show 2011–12 Cleverdicks Game show 2012 Morgan Spurlock's New Britannia Talk show 2012 God Save The Queens Docuseries 2012 Mid Morning Matters with Alan Partridge Radio show 2012–16 Edited version of the web series of the same nameAdam Buxton's Bug Stand-up 2012 Ronna and Beverly Talk show 2012 Don't Sit In The Front Row Stand-up 2012–13 Set List: Stand Up Without a Net Stand-up 2013–14
Co-productions Title Genre Partner/Country Original Broadcast Series Notes Falcón Crime drama Canal+/FranceZDF/Germany 2012 The Tunnel Crime drama Canal+/France 2013–17 Penny Dreadful Dark fantasy drama Showtime/United States 2014–16 The Last Panthers Crime drama Canal+/France 2015 Guerrilla Historical drama Showtime/United States 2017 Britannia Historical fantasy Amazon Prime Video (series 1)Epix/United States (series 2–3) 2018–21 Patrick Melrose Drama Showtime/United States 2018 Sally4Ever Comedy HBO/United States 2018 Chernobyl Historical drama HBO/United States 2019 Catherine the Great Historical drama HBO/United States 2019 Upright (series 1) Comedy drama Fox Showcase/Australia 2019 Moved to Sky Comedy for series 2. The End Drama Fox Showcase/Australia 2020 The Third Day Psychological thriller HBO/United States 2020 Domina Historical drama Sky Atlantic/ItalyMGM+/United States (series 2) 2021–23 Landscapers True crime comedy drama HBO/United States 2021 The Baby Horror comedy HBO/United States 2022 The Lovers Romantic comedy Sundance Now/United States 2023 Mary & George Historical drama Starz/United States 2024 The Tattooist of Auschwitz Historical drama Peacock/United StatesStan/Australia 2024 Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Biographical drama Peacock/United States 2025
Acquired programming HBO programming
Angels In America Ballers Band Of Brothers Banshee Barry (series 1–2) Big Little Lies Big Love Boardwalk Empire Bored to Death The Brink Camping Carnivàle The Comeback (series 1–2) Crashing Curb Your Enthusiasm (series 1–9) Deadwood The Deuce Divorce DTF St. Louis Enlightened Entourage Euphoria Funny or Die Presents Game of Thrones Girls Hacks (series 5) Hello Ladies Here and Now High Maintenance How to Make It in America The Idol I Know This Much Is True Insecure (series 1–3) In Treatment Irma Vep John Adams Julia The Knick Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (series 1–6) The Leftovers Looking Lovecraft Country Luck Mare of Easttown Mildred Pierce Mosaic Mrs. Fletcher My Brilliant Friend The Nevers (series 1A) The Newsroom The Night Of Olive Kitteridge The Outsider The Pacific The Penguin Perry Mason The Plot Against America Quarry Raised By Wolves Real Time with Bill Maher (series 12–17) The Regime Room 104 (series 1) Scenes from a Marriage Sex and the City Sharp Objects Show Me a Hero Silicon Valley Six Feet Under The Sopranos Sort Of The Staircase Station Eleven Succession The Sympathizer Tell Me You Love Me The Time Traveler's Wife Togetherness Trackers Treme True Blood The Undoing Veep Vice Principals Vinyl Watchmen We Own This City Westworld White House Plumbers Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty The Wire
Showtime programming
The Affair American Rust (series 1) Billions The Borgias Black Monday (series 1–2) Brotherhood Californication City on a Hill (series 1–2) The Comey Rule Dexter Dexter: New Blood Dice Escape at Dannemora The Good Lord Bird Happyish House of Lies I'm Dying Up Here Kidding The Loudest Voice