E!'s 'Anna' fashions U.K. deal
Sky One nabs reality sitcom
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Sky One, the flagship channel of Rupert Murdoch's satcaster BSkyB, has snapped up the reality sitcom in a deal inked late last week at the Mipcom TV trade show in Cannes.
The show will make its U.K. debut Oct. 31 on the satellite channel.
"Anna Nicole definitely has global appeal, and we're pleased that Sky One will be airing the series," said Kevin MacLellan, E! senior VP of international.
In a separate deal, E! inked a long-term channel carriage deal with BSkyB to launch E! International Network as part of its "Family Pack" basic-tier subscription channels this December.
As part of the agreement, the two parties will collaborate on the programming for and operational aspects of the channel.
Sky viewers in the U.K. and Ireland will receive a special preview beginning Dec. 2, when Sky Digital will air a daily six-hour block of the new channel, followed by the full rollout in January.
The deal was hammered out by E! Networks chief operating officer Ken Bettsteller and BSkyB COO Richard Freudenstein.
"Following this new relationship with BSkyB, E! will be seen in over 7 million households in the U.K., Ireland, Holland and Scandinavia, giving E! a strong foothold as we turn our attention to other key European markets," Bettsteller said.
E! operates branded channels in Latin America, Israel, Scandinavia and the Philippines, but has not yet made significant inroads in continental Europe.
