BBC America, the BBC’s commercial arm, will now be operated by American entertainment company AMC Networks, following a $200m (£125m) deal.
AMC, a company boosted by the tremendous success of its AMC Channel dramas Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, will manage BBC America as a standalone alongside other channels in the AMC Networks portfolio, including IFC, SundanceTV and WE tv. AMC bought a 49.9% stake in the Corporation, while BBC Worldwide will retain 50.1% stake.
The two networks already have drama co-producing experience, with such series as The Honorable Woman.
BBC Worldwide chief executive Tim Davie said AMC “are committed to the kind of high-quality, unmissable content that has already gained BBC America one of the most educated, affluent and tech savvy audiences in all of US television.”
Tony Hall, BBC director general, said the deal would “help us reach new audiences in the US, strengthen BBC America’s position for the long term and create opportunities for the UK creative community”.