Channel 5 buys smash hit Kevin Costner series Hatfields & McCoys

UK free-to-air broadcaster Channel 5 has acquired Hatfields & McCoys, the Western miniseries starring Kevin Costner that was a huge ratings hit for US cable channel History.

The UK broadcaster has taken exclusive UK rights after inking a deal with the show’s distributor Sony Pictures Television.

The three-part drama, set soon after the US Civil War, follows two feuding families in America’s deep South.

Produced by Thinkfactory Media, it was History’s first original scripted show and garnered huge ratings for the cable network, eclipsing those of the main broadcast networks and registering the best viewer numbers ever for a cable show (sport aside).

Channel 5’s head of acquisitions, Katie Keenan said: “Hatfield and McCoys will be a great addition to our autumn line-up and further cement Channel 5 as the most watched channel for US drama in the UK.”