Viacom will launch Spike, a new free-to-air channel featuring the full series of Breaking Bad, next month.
It will be the first time that Breaking Bad will be shown in its entirety on British TV when the channel launches on 15 April. Spike is already a channel in the US.
The new channel will show new seasons of The Walking Dead as well as British shows including the Vinnie Jones-fronted Police Interceptors Unleashed.
The schedule will also have Lip Sync Battle, a show transferred from the US Spike channel, as a flagship programme. It is presented by LL Cool J and executive produced by Stephen Merchant, the British comedian.
There will also be dramas including Olympus, Justified and Sons of Anarchy, as well as reality TV shows Spike airs in the US such as Catch a Contractor and Frankenfood.
Spike will take slot 31 on Freeview and 5USA will move to 21. Viva is currently in the 21 slot and Viacom said that it will become a purely music channel and sit within the MTV music offer. The 24-hour channel will also be available on Sky TV, Freesat and Freeview.
Ben Frow, the programme director at Channel 5, and his editorial team will oversee commissioning, scheduling and acquisitions for Spike.
He said: "Spike is a driven, high-energy channel offering a point of view and programme mix I think is different from anything else on British TV right now. I can’t wait to see our viewers embrace this exhilarating new channel."
Statistics: Posted by Expat — Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:33 pm