BBC Worldwide Content Now Available on MySpaceTV

LONDON, January 24: BBC Worldwide has inked a deal to bring
current and archived short-form content to MySpaceTV,
the social networking site’s online video platform, marking the first
global agreement of its kind between MySpaceTV and a major broadcaster.

Under the deal, current and archived video content from BBC
Worldwide programs like Robin Hood, Torchwood
and Top Gear will be available on MySpaceTV. Some classic moments
in British television will also be featured on the new video channel, including
recording artist Robbie Williams and actor Russell Crowe being interviewed by
well-known talk show host Michael Parkinson, Jeremy Clarkson and his team on Top
Gear and some clips from David
Attenborough’s natural history series. Additionally, comedic sketches from The
Catherine Tate Show, Red Dwarf and The Mighty Boosh
will be available.

BBC Worldwide content will be immediately available across
MySpaceTV’s 27 international territories and nearly 110 million global active
users.

Localized versions of MySpaceTV are available in seven
different languages across the U.K., Japan, Australia, France, Germany,
Ireland, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Latin America,
Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Austria.

The new deal with MySpaceTV represents a further move by BBC
Worldwide to broaden the reach of its content to new channels and outlets and
to promote content that will be available on Kangaroo in the U.K.—a new
on-demand service launched by BBC Worldwide in partnership with ITV and Channel
4—and on BBC Worldwide’s commercial media player internationally.

Simon Danker, the director of digital media at BBC
Worldwide, said: “MySpace is recognized as the largest social networking site
and this partnership continues our strategy of putting BBC content right at the
heart of where audiences spend their time and watch video online.”

Continued Danker: “The breadth of content we bring to this
deal means that MySpace users will easily be able to find a favorite clip to
put on their profiles and share with their friends, whether that is a Top
Gear stunt or something a bit different
from The Mighty Boosh. With the
global nature of the deal, this is a great opportunity to put the best shows
from the BBC in front of new audiences.”

Travis Katz, the managing director of international at
MySpace, added: “This is the first
global network deal for MySpaceTV and we believe it’s the future of
collaboration between the web and networks around the globe. The BBC is one of
the world’s most recognized and trusted television brands with fantastic
content. Bringing the BBC onto the MySpace network is a sign of how the market
has changed and how companies like ours are shaping the future of
entertainment.”

—By Irene Lew