Fans 'Lost' as show goes to Sky

Fans of the show Lost have bombarded the Digital Spy forums, angry that they will now have to pay to watch the hit show.

Sky One has appeased some fans by agreeing to show the new series earlier than the original spring air date proposed by Channel 4.

The channel now plans to launch the new series, which will be available to view in high-definition, in mid-November, alongside on and off air promotions. Episodes will also be available for download on Sky Broadband, which is available via other broadband services. Sky says specific details of the on-demand service have not been finalised.

The November start date doesn't give Sky much time to promote the show, with November and December monthly schedules already printed.

It is thought that Channel 4 had the option to bid the reported £20 million Sky paid Buena Vista International Television for series three and four of Lost, but decided not to.

Many fans are annoyed at Channel 4 for "hyping up" the second series, which only finished last month, to then lose it to Sky One. One forum member said: "I wish I'd never have bothered with Lost now. All that hype about this great new import, all those flashy trailers, all this pomp and ceremony, only to be completely junked after 2 series. If we knew that they would let it go after series 2 I just wouldn't have bothered with the show in the first place."

In the US, episode 3 of the third series aired this week. After the initial first six episodes of the third series, the series takes a break and begins again after Christmas, with Sky One aiming to show each of the remaining 16 episodes just days after it airs first in the US.

One forum member put it quite clearly: "For a lot of people Lost has just gone from 'Must watch' to 'Can't watch'."