PictureBox On-Demand Service to Launch on BT

UNIVERSAL CITY/LONDON,
April 18: Universal Pictures and British Telecommunications have secured an
agreement to launch the PictureBox subscription on-demand service on BT Vision
in the U.K. on May 5.

The PictureBox service provides
a selection of current and library feature films, including titles from NBC
Universal, as well as other suppliers. Subscribers to the service on the BT
Vision platform will be able to view films from a selection of 28 titles
available at any given time, many of which have not yet been seen on
free-to-air television in the U.K., with new titles being added each week. Highlights
of films include The Bourne Ultimatum, Knocked Up, Atonement, The Kingdom, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Evan Almighty, Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift, Hot Fuzz, Pride & Prejudice,
The Break-Up, The
Interpreter, The Constant
Gardener, Miami Vice and King Kong, among others.

Marc Watson, the
commercial director of TV services at BT Vision, said, “I am delighted to have
reached agreement with NBC Universal to make the PictureBox service available
on BT Vision. PictureBox represents a significant new development for BT
Vision, and we are confident that the combination of current and library
titles, refreshed on a regular basis, will prove highly popular with our
customers.”

“In a relatively short
time, PictureBox has proven itself to be a powerful brand for NBC Universal,”
said Belinda Menendez, the president of NBC Universal International Television
Distribution. “This newest launch on BT Vision illustrates its popularity with
U.K. consumers and we look forward to launching PictureBox in additional
territories across Europe, Asia and Latin America.”

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski