Sky is to double the budget for its history channel Sky History when it rebrands later this month, according to Broadcast.
The channel is a joint venture between Sky and A&E Networks and has been broadcasting in the UK for almost 25 years.
At the end of this month it will rebrand as Sky History and be given a new plum slot on the Sky EPG, moving up to channel 123.
The news of an increased budget comes after History recorded an impressive April, with primetime viewing jumping 55% and the overall share up to 0.77% as the UK spent its first full month in lockdown.
"We are doubling our investment in original content and are hoping that this will prove a great way to keep [viewers] coming back for more," said Heather Jones, general manager of History in the UK.
"I want big, contemporary characters who can bring us really interesting stories from the past. We are interested in any period right up the 80s so ideas could span the Cold War and WW2, as well as the Romans, Vikings or Knight Templar. We are open to all eras.
"We've seen some incredibly promising numbers in April and with a better EPG slot and more cross-promotion we are hopeful that we will continue to deliver double digit growth across the rest of this year and end 2020 and in a better position than we started."
The Sky History rebrand on May 27 will also coincide with the launch of two new sister channels, Sky Documentaries (EPG 114) and Sky Nature (EPG 130).
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