Why are shows on sky history shown in the US first?

[Ramprat]

So correct me if I'm wrong, sky history is a European and UK TV channel owned by sky, which is a UK company?

So why are programs like curse of oak island being shown 2 months earlier in the US than the UK? I can totally understand US TV channels priority US customers but why is the US being prioritised by a UK channel or am I missing something?

The reason I ask is with all the new US channel streaming services that are available Sky will need to step up in terms of content as pretty much everything I watch on sky I can find elsewhere and on many occasions earlier than sky so its not going to be long before sky isn't worth the cost.

[d2h · Accepted solution]

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@Ramprat wrote:

So correct me if I'm wrong, sky history is a European and UK TV channel owned by sky, which is a UK company?

So why are programs like curse of oak island being shown 2 months earlier in the US than the UK? I can totally understand US TV channels priority US customers but why is the US being prioritised by a UK channel or am I missing something?

The reason I ask is with all the new US channel streaming services that are available Sky will need to step up in terms of content as pretty much everything I watch on sky I can find elsewhere and on many occasions earlier than sky so its not going to be long before sky isn't worth the cost.

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It's a U.S. channel. Sky just licence the name from the owner Hearst. 

[Ramprat]

Ah ok thanks d2h, so conflicting info online said it was a European owned channel, it didn't mention it had a US parent company. Still if a channel is going to market itself as being a UK or European channel and sky is going to insert its brand into the name then really it should get programmes at the same time or my original point stands regarding the fact you can stream directly from the US providers nowadays perfectly fine and legally (yes occasionally you need a VPN but your still paying for and using the service) means if there's not difference in programmes and availabile content apart from scheduling which is behind by months then Sky aren't going to stay a good choice for much longer.

Pandemic aside Sky content is lacking again this year and instead we are getting gimmicks like sky glass (only attractive to new customers at best) rather than providing content for current and long term customers.

I'm probably being a bit harsh to sky but it's frustrating that in the 21st we as sky customers are still 2months (atleast) behind the US, their only saving grace is the cost as buying multiple individual subscriptions to US channels that provide streaming is more expensive but the way sky keeps bumping in prices every year closes that gap each time and it's not very much anymore.

Anyway rant over, I guess I'll have to sit here patiently waiting until January (since I can't stand the voice over on the US history channel version 🤣🤣)

[Annie+UK]

I fail to see why it matters that the USA get programmes first

[Ramprat]

1, it's irritating that a show you want to watch is being broadcast but just because you don't live in the US you can't watch it at the same time, like international viewer aren't as important so instead you have to wait for no reason other than because the network wants to make non US viewers do so, there are no technical or legal reasons they couldn't release it at the same time if they wanted to or even the later in the same day like FOX does with NCIS.

2, because spoilers end up all over the Internet expecially for certain shows and unless you live under a rock its different to avoid them.

Your right that in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter but when you see adverts online for a new season back in September saying it will be out in November and then find out that's only the US and the international viewers have to wait another 2 months it's just frustrating, the only thing on sky right now is repeats of old seasons across all channels yet I'm still paying full price, it used to be there was enough decent content that there was always one show I'd want to watch all year

[Chrisee]

@Ramprat content owners routinely show their new material at different times in different markets and Europe usually but not always lags behind the States.. Sky will only have very limited input into when the UK rights become available for them to schedule.

The very big block buster series turn up on Sky Atlantic some 18 hours after the first showing by HBO in the US but that is unusual. Delays of several months are pretty normal.. The epidemic has caused a shortage of new material in all markets and hence even more repeats than normal. Production has only recently returned to near normal levels and will take time to work through to the schedules. The US would have seen the same issues just earlier than we did.

[TimmyBGood]

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@d2h wrote:

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@Ramprat wrote:

...owned by sky, which is a UK company?

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It's a U.S. channel. Sky just licence the name from the owner Hearst. 

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And these days Sky is a UK-headquartered division of a US corporation.

[rscott]

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@Ramprat wrote:

Ah ok thanks d2h, so conflicting info online said it was a European owned channel, it didn't mention it had a US parent company. Still if a channel is going to market itself as being a UK or European channel and sky is going to insert its brand into the name then really it should get programmes at the same time or my original point stands regarding the fact you can stream directly from the US providers nowadays perfectly fine and legally (yes occasionally you need a VPN but your still paying for and using the service) means if there's not difference in programmes and availabile content apart from scheduling which is behind by months then Sky aren't going to stay a good choice for much longer.

Pandemic aside Sky content is lacking again this year and instead we are getting gimmicks like sky glass (only attractive to new customers at best) rather than providing content for current and long term customers.

I'm probably being a bit harsh to sky but it's frustrating that in the 21st we as sky customers are still 2months (atleast) behind the US, their only saving grace is the cost as buying multiple individual subscriptions to US channels that provide streaming is more expensive but the way sky keeps bumping in prices every year closes that gap each time and it's not very much anymore.

Anyway rant over, I guess I'll have to sit here patiently waiting until January (since I can't stand the voice over on the US history channel version 🤣🤣)

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That's not true. Using a VPN to view content outside the region the streamer has a licence for is not in compliance with the terms and conditions. Why else do you think companies spend so much on technologies to detect and block the use of VPNs?

[morenobutterfly]

I agree with you sometimes we're like 6 months behind for example the resident season 4 just finished but season 5 started in the US in September so have no idea when it will start here so annoying

[Timelord2018]

A+E Networks UK  is joint venture between Sky and Hearst

https://www.aenetworks.tv/who-we-are

[Timelord2018]

A+E Networks UK - Sky History, Sky History 2 , Crime & Investigation , Lifetime and Blaze is actually a joint venture between Hearst and Sky.

[PATV+Scunthorpe]

Of which Hearst are the ones who control the day to day running of the channels, not Sky.

[LGUser]

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@morenobutterfly wrote:
I agree with you sometimes we're like 6 months behind for example the resident season 4 just finished but season 5 started in the US in September so have no idea when it will start here so annoying

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One of the reasons that some shows are behind the US broadcast is so there is no break like there is in the US. And it also depends on when the show can be fittted in the schedule.