Vikings


A+E makes dramatic move with Studios

A+E launched A+E Studios just over a year ago to deliver premium scripted programming to its A&E, History and Lifetime brands, and now the company is taking that content international, its executive VP, Sean Cohan, tells Stewart Clarke. When History moved into scripted programming, it immediately hit its stride – The Bible, Vikings and Hatfields […]

Vikings, Extant lead Amazon UK ‘ratings’

The first seasons of Vikings (pictured) and Extant are the most popular content on Amazon’s Prime Instant Video service in the UK, the e-commerce giant has said. According to Amazon, Vikings season one is Prime’s most-watched show since February, followed by Extant, Vikings season two, Black Sails season one and The Walking Dead season one. […]

Vikings sets UK ratings record for History

The opening instalment of drama series Vikings has become the most-watched programme ever on the History channel in the UK. The Norse drama won an initial 160,000 viewers for A+E Networks’ History on May 13, but a consolidated audience of 678,000. The consolidated figure incorporates timeshifted viewing in the week after the original transmission. The […]

Vikings season two ships viewers

The new season of History’s period drama Vikings has failed to muster the same stellar rating as the launch of season one. The first season had a huge advantage in that it had ratings juggernaut The Bible as a lead-in show. It generated around six million viewers per episode when following The Bible. The season […]

Lovefilm snags more Vikings

Amazon’s UK streaming service Lovefilm has bought rights to season two of drama series Vikings. The deal gives Lovefilm exclusive rights to the show and the agreement mean it will bypass free-to-air television in the first instance. It will latterly play on the History pay TV channel in the UK at an as yet undisclosed […]

Data Centre: Cable channels power ahead

Duck Dynasty, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead and many others underline the fact that cable shows have been making big headlines for some time now, with outstanding viewing scores and ratings results that challenge the big four broadcasters, says Julia Espérance, media consultant at Eurodata TV and service manager for the New on the Air […]

Amazon gets Vikings as part of new MGM deal

Amazon has expanded its content deal with MGM and will take US streaming rights to hit drama series Vikings for its Prime Instant Video service. Amazon’s UK and German service, Lovefilm, already has rights to the drama, which is produced and distributed by MGM. It performed well on US cable net History in a Sunday […]

Lifetime, A&E, History join for Bonnie & Clyde simulcast

The A&E, History and Lifetime US cable channels will join forces to simulcast two-part original drama Bonnie & Clyde. All three of the A+E Networks channels will show the series, in two-hour instalments over two nights, starting Sunday, December 8. History has made a hugely successful push into scripted with Hatfield & McCoys, The Bible […]

History performs Houdini act

A+E Networks-owned History has greenlit another scripted period miniseries, this time calling on Oscar-winner Adrien Brody to play famous escapologist Harry Houdini. Production on the four-hour Houdini begins this fall, and will also star Kristen Connolly (House of Cards) as Houdini’s wife. The mini, which will trace the master magician’s roots in desperate poverty through […]

Vikings drives MGM growth as Tellem joins board

Strong worldwide sales of scripted drama Vikings helped Hollywood studio MGM report revenue growth of 164% in its second quarter. MGM parent MGM Holdings reported revenue of US$339 million for the three months to June 30, 2012, up from US$128.4 million in 2012, news that was compounded by the announcement Microsoft Studios chief and former […]