Lightbox Calls on Saul

Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul will screen exclusively in HD on Lightbox.

Spark’s streaming service announced this morning it had secured the prequel to the series that’s one of the signature drawcards on Sky’s SoHo channel.

It will stream here when US cable channel AMC (The Walking Dead, Mad Men, Hell on Wheels) premieres it on February 8.

Lightbox’s biggest programming coup yet follows a similar streaming deal for Saul in Australia, where it will help to launch the Fairfax Media-Channel Nine venture, Stan.

The Lightbox acquisition is a stunning example of how quickly the media landscape is changing even in a territory as tiny as NZ, with Netflix due to launch here in March and Sky’s Neon service going live next month.

And yesterday Quickflix asserted its point of difference by announcing a collaboration with the Documentary New Zealand Trust today that brings films from recent Documentary Edge festivals to the pay-per-view service.

But Lightbox remains the pre-eminent service for viewing TV series online in HD and up-to-date with the US.

Here’s Lightbox’s Better Call Saul press release:

2015’s most anticipated TV show is coming exclusively to online entertainment service Lightbox.

Better Call Saul, a prequel to the 16-time Emmy-winning drama Breaking Bad premieres in America on February 8 2015. Lightbox is fast-tracking each episode so Kiwis can be part of the global TV event.

Lightbox CEO Kym Niblock says the acquisition of Better Call Saul is a real coup – not just for Lightbox but also its subscribers.

“We launched Lightbox with the promise of bringing insanely good TV to New Zealanders and with shows such as Outlander, Transparent and now Better Call Saul, we’re continuing to make good on that promise.”

Better Call Saul follows the trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Saul Goodman with actor Bob Odenkirk set to reprise the lead role.

Set six years before he meets Walter White, the man who will become Saul is known as Jimmy McGill, a small-time lawyer searching for his destiny and more immediately, hustling to make ends meet. Working alongside – and often against – Jimmy is “fixer” Mike Ehrmantraut played by actor Jonathan Banks.

The series is dramatic in tone with dark humour woven through and follows Jimmy’s transformation into Saul, the man who puts the “criminal” in criminal lawyer.

Better Call Saul is created by Breaking Bad’s Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould who serve as executive producers along with another series alumnus Mark Johnson. A second season has already been confirmed.

“If you’re one of the few people who hasn’t watched Breaking Bad yet, take the next few months to catch up. Lightbox has all five seasons ready to go whenever you are and it totally deserves all the hype,” Niblock adds.

To find out more about Better Call Saul, visit Lightbox.

For a free 30-day trial of Lightbox register at www.lightbox.co.nz