HBO Rolls Out SVOD Service in the U.K.

LONDON, February 13: HBO is launching a branded subscription
video on demand service in the U.K. on BT Vision, Tiscali TV and Virgin Media,
marking its first entry into the British market.

“HBO’s programming has always done very well in the U.K. and
the arrival of an HBO service has been long desired and anticipated,” said
Simon Sutton, the president of programming
distribution and international at HBO. “We are very excited to offer HBO
programming in a subscription video on demand format, where we can deliver our
acclaimed series and specials to U.K. audiences on their schedule. This
opportunity enables us to raise our profile in the region, while providing viewers
with a distinct HBO environment.”

Launch dates on BT Vision, Tiscali TV and Virgin Media will
be determined by each of the platforms, HBO said. The service will provide at
least 50 hours of HBO’s original programming upon its full rollout, including
award-winning series, mini-series, documentaries and comedy specials. Over
time, the library on the service will build to include all episodes of the
featured HBO series, starting with the first episode of season one and growing
each consecutive week. Included among the programs available at launch will be The
Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Band
of Brothers, Angels in America, From the Earth to the Moon, Autopsy
and Taxicab Confessions.

HBO first launched its SVOD service, HBO On Demand, in the
U.S. on July 1, 2001. It now reaches more than 11 million subscribers. This
year, HBO Asia launched the SVOD service in Hong Kong on now Broadband TV.