BSkyB buys complete HBO TV catalogue

I was hoping we would see more HBO shows on the likes of ch4, but I guess they just don't have that sort of money these days.
Has the BBC ever worked with HBO, or have they only ever worked with showtime because if they have I was wondering who would own the UK rights to those shows.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/jul/29/bskyb-buys-hbo-tv-catalogue

 

BBC Co-produced Rome, and I thought they were co-producing Game of Thrones too, but I read Sky had the rights to Game of Thrones so I don't know about that.

 

If you're going to buy TV shit, that's the TV shit to buy...

 

^We have plenty of TV shit of our own.

Or is that shit TV ?

 

Hmm this is weird, FX are saying they still have the rights to The Wire and True Blood for the life of the series, plus others. So someone somewhere is either lying or misinformed.

 

^I thought the BBC had the rights to The Wire ?

 

BBC have free TV rights, FX have the pay TV rights. Makes me wonder what happens with Rome and Band Of Brothers though, because they're both BBC co-productions so do BBC keep free rights and Sky get pay rights? or do BBC have exclusive rights?

 

So I'm guessing that sky has exclusive rights to the entire HBO catalogue that is not already owned by somebody else.
Or somebody's lawyers are about to get sacked