Sky snatches next series of Prison Break from Five

Sky One has snatched the rights to hit US import 'Prison Break' from terrestrial channel Five.

Sky is understood to have outbid Five for the third series of the show, after the terrestrial broadcaster had aired the first two.
Fox had only meant the series to run for two seasons, but has renewed the drama, due to critical success and good international sales of the rights to broadcast the show, which like many US dramas air 22 episodes per season.

'Prison Break' revolves around a man who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and his brother's elaborate plan to help him escape his death sentence. The first season dealt with life inside the prison and the planned prison break. In the second season they were on the run.

The show has recently seen a decline in audience, and according to official ratings figures, the show has dropped from a 9.2% share of total audience in season one to an 8.5% share in season two.

Sky has previously poached Kiefer Sutherland drama '24' from BBC Two at the end of 2003. It is now a mainstay of Sky One's schedule where seasons three, four and five have run.
In another raid on a terrestrial network it famously outbid Channel 4 to the rights to 'Lost'.
Last night's season finale, broadcast on Five, was watched by a total audience of 1.2m, or a 6.6% share of total audience, according to overnight figures.

A Five spokesman said: "In the light of 'Prison Break''s declining ratings we didn't feel the asking price for Season 3 represented good value."

The move is further evidence of Sky's aggressive acquisitions strategy. It took 'Lost' from Channel 4, which was a major blow for the broadcaster after just one season.
The first series of 'Lost' on C4 recorded an audience of 2.8m with a 16% share of total audience, the most recent series on Sky One recorded an average of 800,000 and 5.5% share.

David Smyth, head of acquisitions at Sky One, Two and Three, said: "'Prison Break', originally launched in 2005, instantly became a global success captivating audiences with its plot twists. The edge of the seat drama is the perfect addition to our must-see slate of US programming."

by Mark Banham, Brand Republic 05-Jun-07