CBS Studios & Sky Announce Licensing Agreement for Hit Drama MADAM SECRETARY

CBS Studios International and Sky today announced a licensing deal for the exclusive UK broadcast rights to the sophisticated new drama MADAM SECRETARY. The show will premiere in the coming months on Sky Living.

Starring Téa Leoni in the title role and executive produced by Barbara Hall, Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary, MADAM SECRETARY is Sunday's most-watched scripted show on broadcast television in the U.S. The show premiered to more than 17 million viewers, and ranks as one of the top-rated new fall series.

Sky Living is already the home to CBS drama ELEMENTARY, which has been one of the top-rated shows on SKY Living since its debut in 2012.

"MADAM SECRETARY is television at its very best; strong characters and gripping storylines that draw in the viewer week after week," said Stephen Tague, Senior Vice President, Europe for CBS Studios International. "We are pleased to continue working with Sky to bring the best U.S. programming to UK audiences."

"I knew as soon as I saw MADAM SECRETARY at this year's L.A. screenings it was perfect for Sky Living," commented Antonia Hurford-Jones, Sky Living Channel Director. "It's a smart, pacy, quality drama which has you hooked from the start. I feel confident our customers are going to love it."

MADAM SECRETARY stars Tèa Leoni as Elizabeth McCord, the shrewd, determined, newly appointed Secretary of State who drives international diplomacy, battles office politics and circumvents protocol as she negotiates global and domestic issues, both at the White House and at home. A college professor and a brilliant former CIA analyst who left for ethical reasons, Elizabeth returns to public life at the request of the President following the suspicious death of her predecessor. The President values her apolitical leanings, her deep knowledge of the Middle East, her flair for languages and her ability to not just think outside the box, but to not even acknowledge there is a box.

McCord's team includes her Chief of Staff, Nadine Tolliver (Bebe Neuwirth), along with speechwriter Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend), press coordinator Daisy Grant (Patina Miller) and her charming assistant, Blake Moran (Erich Bergen). When McCord debates third world problems, finesses foreign dignitaries at work and does battle with the President's combative Chief of Staff, Russell Jackson (Željko Ivanek), it's just a warm-up for when she goes home to her supportive husband, Henry (Tim Daly), and their two bright children, where "politics" and "compromise" take on new meaning.

About CBS Studios International
CBS Studios International is the leading supplier of programming to the international television marketplace, licensing to more than 200 markets in more than 30 languages across multiple media platforms. The Studio participates in international channel ventures, currently comprised of 22 channels in 20 languages across 87 territories reaching more than 100 million international households. CBS Studios International also exports a diverse line up of formats for local production around the world. The division distributes content from CBS Television Studios, CBS Television Distribution, Showtime, CBS News, CBS Films and a library of more than 70,000 hours of programming. CBS Studios International is a division of CBS Corporation.