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Backed by Sky’s evolving entertainment strategy, Neon is stepping into a new chapter with a stacked line-up of prestige drama, binge-worthy originals, blockbuster films, anime hits and premium international content that looks set to dominate screens across the country.

A Streaming Challenger With A Kiwi Edge

In an increasingly crowded streaming battlefield, Neon’s new direction is all about leaning into what makes it different: it’s unapologetically Kiwi, culturally plugged-in, and isn’t trying to imitate the polished sameness of the global giants.

The Something to Stream About campaign embraces the social chaos, online chatter and watercooler conversations that define modern entertainment culture, all delivered with a sharp, irreverent Kiwi tone.

According to Sky Chief Customer Officer Nikki Goodman, the refreshed identity reflects the way audiences engage with entertainment today.

“Neon has always had great shows, now it has the brand strategy to match.”

And that strategy arrives with serious firepower behind it.

Neon’s entertainment ecosystem now draws from an impressive roster of global content partners including Paramount, Sony Pictures Television, NBCUniversal, BBC Studios, Lionsgate, A24, The Walt Disney Company, AMC Global Media, Madman Entertainment, Fifth Season and StudioCanal.

The result? A seriously loaded catalogue that feels built to fuel obsession.

New Series Are About To Take Over Your Watchlist

Leading the charge is The Audacity, a darkly comic Silicon Valley drama from Better Call Saul and Succession writer-producer Jonathan Glatzer, which arrives on May 14.

Then comes Dutton Ranch, the next expansion of the Yellowstone universe from Taylor Sheridan, following Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler as they battle to defend the family legacy in true hard-hitting Western fashion.

Espionage fans are also in for a treat with The Agency, the tense spy thriller led by Michael Fassbender, while BBC Studios thriller Mint delivers a volatile mix of romance, violence and gangster intrigue described as “Romeo and Juliet meets organised crime.”

And this is only the beginning.

Upcoming highlights include psychological thriller American Hostage starring Jon Hamm, the chilling A24 horror series Crystal Lake, and Kill Jackie featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Meanwhile, mystery thriller Yaga reimagines the Baba Yaga myth for modern audiences and stars Carrie-Anne Moss alongside Noah Reid.

Anime, Crime, Horror And Prestige Drama Arrive In Force

Neon is also making a serious play for anime fans, bringing beloved Crunchyroll titles including JUJUTSU KAISEN, SPY x FAMILY and Cowboy Bebop to local audiences.

Prestige drama lovers can also expect major new titles from Fifth Season, including The Good Daughter starring Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy, crime drama The Blame with Michelle Keegan, and The Westies from Narcos creator Chris Brancato.

And if that wasn’t enough, Neon is also refreshing its library with iconic binge-worthy titles including Downton Abbey, Dawson’s Creek, Ray Donovan, Scrubs, Atlanta and Homeland.

Local Stories Remain Front And Centre

Despite the huge international slate, Neon is continuing to double down on local storytelling.

New Sky Originals include crime drama Bust Up starring Morgana O’Reilly and Roimata Fox, while comedy Good Bones featuring Josh Thomson is set to arrive later in the year.

Family audiences are also getting fresh adventures with the return of Secrets of Red Rocks alongside new animated projects Tralala and The Last Moa.

On the film side, exclusive releases including The Running Man, The Long Walk, Kangaroo, Sentimental Value, Splitsville and The SpongeBob Movie are all headed to the platform, joined by local features Not Only Fred Dagg but Also John Clarke and Grace: A Prayer for Peace.

Sky Drama Is Ready To Turn Up The Heat

And the expansion doesn’t stop there.

As part of Sky’s broader entertainment evolution, a brand-new channel titled Sky Drama will launch in early June for Entertainment customers, offering a curated weekly line-up of premium dramas, major new releases and international favourites.

With The Audacity, Dutton Ranch, The Agency and AMC horror thriller The Terror: Devil in Silver all on the slate, Sky Drama looks ready to become essential viewing for audiences craving prestige television.

Between Neon’s refreshed identity, massive content push and distinctly Kiwi personality, it’s clear the local streaming contender is no longer content with simply competing in the streaming wars. It wants to own the conversation.

Image: SKY TV

The post Neon Fires Up A Bold New Era Of Streaming For Audiences appeared first on SpicyPulp.

The expanded agreement delivers a hefty slate of exclusive, first-run scripted series alongside an extended movie output deal, meaning Sony’s biggest TV titles and films will land on Sky platforms following their theatrical and home entertainment windows. It’s a move that reinforces Sky’s position as the country’s premium home for bold, buzz-driven entertainment.

Leading the charge is The Lady, arriving on NEON and Sky On Demand from 24 February. The four-part drama charts the shocking rise and catastrophic fall of Jane Andrews, a former royal dresser who entered Buckingham Palace as Sarah Ferguson’s aide before becoming the centre of one of Britain’s most infamous murder cases. It’s true-crime-tinged prestige drama with serious edge — exactly the kind of appointment viewing Sky thrives on.

Later in 2026 comes American Hostage, a tense psychological thriller set in the 1970s and starring Jon Hamm as Indianapolis radio reporter Fred Heckman. Inspired by real events, the series plunges into a claustrophobic 63-hour hostage crisis that turns a broadcaster into the linchpin of a high-stakes standoff. It’s sweaty, pressure-cooker drama built for bingeing.

On the film front, Sky has also extended its long-running movie deal with Sony Pictures, significantly boosting the depth and range of titles available across Sky, NEON and Sky Open. Audiences can expect a stacked pipeline of recent hits, upcoming releases and fan-favourite library titles following their cinema and home entertainment runs — including Materialists, 28 Years Later, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, I Know What You Did Last Summer (the recent 2025 release), the Karate Kid franchise (including Karate Kid: Legends), Caught Stealing and Anaconda. It’s a genre-spanning mix designed to satisfy casual viewers and cinephiles alike.

Sky also remains the exclusive New Zealand home of the Outlander universe, one of its most-watched and most-loved franchises. The final season of Outlander arrives on 7 March, while prequel series Outlander: Blood of My Blood is set to return for a second season. For fans, the entire saga continues to live in one place, with the full catalogue available across Sky and NEON.

Beyond shiny new releases, the Sony partnership supercharges Sky’s library offering with hundreds of hours of must-watch television. That includes Community (exclusive to Sky), alongside heavy hitters like Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul (both exclusive to Sky and NEON), plus The Tudors, Dawson’s Creek and S.W.A.T., which lands on Sky for the first time.

Sky Head of Entertainment Fiona Murray says the expanded deal reflects a clear, data-driven commitment to delivering world-class storytelling. The partnership, she notes, brings scale, stability and a steady stream of premium drama and film to Sky customers — ensuring Sky and NEON remain the go-to platforms for the best international content.
From Sony’s side, Adam Herr, SVP Distribution Asia-Pacific, describes the agreement as a natural evolution of a long-standing collaboration, built on a shared ambition to deliver must-watch television and cinema to New Zealand audiences.

For viewers, the message is simple: more prestige drama, more blockbuster movies, and more reasons to stay glued to Sky and NEON.

Image: SKY TV

The post Sky New Zealand Locks in a Major Sony Pictures Television Power Play appeared first on SpicyPulp.

Check them out below:

Billions

The world of high finance is the setting for this machiavellian tale of hedge fund titan Bobby Axelrod (Damien Lewis) who is locked in a dangerous and escalating game of cat and mouse with US Attorney Chuck Rhodes (Paul Giamatti). The premise is simple, Axelrod, better known as Axe, wants to make as much money as possible. Rhodes wants to put him away for doing it, citing a long list of financial fraud and conspiracy charges. If you love intriguing, almost dangerous dramas then Billions makes for a terrific watch and throw in some amazing supporting characters including Axe’s wife, Lara (Malin Akerman), a calculating Lady MacBeth type, and Rhodes wife Wendy (Maggie Siff), a self-possessed alpha professional who’s willing to go to any length to get the job done, along with the hyper-intelligent and ambitious Taylor Amber Mason (Asia Kate Dillon) and you’ve got the setting for a terrific show. Billions has everything you could want out of a television show, and it’s all money!

Ray Donovan

When it comes to crime dramas they rarely get this personal, but the phenomenal and brooding Ray Donovan is an almost Shakespearean level drama that pulls no punches. Focusing in on professional fixer Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber), who leads a complicated life using an array of illegal and unethical ways to make sure the clients for the legal firm he works for get their way. Making things even more stressful for Ray is the fact that his personal life is an utter mess and you’ve got the setting and backdrop for a powerful character study. Schreiber is fantastic in the role of Ray and really gets to pull out his considerable acting depth in this incredible portrait of a complex man living a dangerous and difficult life. With 8 seasons to binge, Ray Donovan will hold your attention very nicely.

Game of Thrones

It’s regarded as one of the greatest achievements of long form television in the last decade, and if it’s been a while since you last watched Game of Thrones you might want to take the time to check it out once again. With it’s memorable characters including dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke), heroic outcast Jon Snow (Kit Harington), ferocious lioness Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), conflicted knight Jaime Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and the clever and calculating dwarf Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), Game of Thrones brings the epic world of George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world to life with fantastical characters, mythic world building and an intriguing, twisting narrative and it’s viewing that will keep you engaged the whole way through. Audiences never could have imagined that they would have been this engaged by the fantasy genre and it might be a good time to venture back to Westeros once more.

True Detective

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson brought two incredible performances together in the television event that was True Detective, and this slow-burn story was one of pain, rage, fire, vengeance and redemption, and we couldn’t look away. As Louisiana State Police homicide detectives Rustin “Rust” Cohle (McConaughey) and Martin “Marty” Hart (Harrelson), they are brought into investigate a grisly crime committed by a serial killer over a 17-year period. True Detective was a narrative that got into your bones, and it was masterfully captured via the talented eye of director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Dark and savage at every turn, True Detective is one of those shows that stays with you long after you watch it, and years on since it’s debut back ion 2014 it still remains as one of the most celebrated television events ever broadcast. This one comes highly recommended.

Banshee

Sometimes all you want is some old school pulp-fiction, smack’em’up action mayhem and in that situation Banshee is the one to choose. Starring New Zealander Antony Starr as a nameless thief, and recent jailbird, who assumes the identity of recently dead police officer Lucas Hood, and whom is then sworn is as the new Sheriff of Banshee, Pennsylvania, Banshee mixes in all kinds of extremes and makes for a ferocious piece of action TV. From its bone breaking fights to stoic character moments, Banshee is great fun and pits Hood against a whole host of deranged villains including a crazed Ukrainian mob boss named Rabbit, who has a serious axe to grind, local Armish kingpin Kai Procter, who has his own vision for how Banshee should be run, and a whole host of other bad guys. And did I mention that Hood’s trying to renew his one time love affair with Rabbit’s daughter Anastasia (Ivana Miličević), who has herself adopted an assumed identity, married, and is now raising a family in Banshee. Oh and then there’s his two best friends; local bar owner, ex-fighter and former criminal Sugar (Frankie Faison), and transvestite hacker extrordainre Job (the exceptional Hoon Lee). This mixes of outlandish narrative, brutal action and mercurial characters makes Banshee an utterly addictive rush of a show.

All these shows are available to stream on Neon now.

The post The Ultimate Binge Guide – Part Three appeared first on SpicyPulp.