CBS & Chellomedia to Roll Out New Channels Across EMEA

LONDON: Building on their current partnership, Chellomedia and CBS Studios International are launching branded channels in 83 territories across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The pact expands on the previous U.K. venture for CBS-branded channels that launched in November 2009. Under the terms of the new agreement, channels from Chellomedia’s Chello Zone will be rebranded and reprogrammed as CBS Reality, CBS Drama and CBS Action. The new CBS Chello Zone channels will roll out across EMEA, reaching a collective 43 million subscribers. The programming will draw from the CBS library for drama, reality and long-form content and will also have acquired programs from third parties.

CBS will have a 30-percent stake in the channels, which will continue to be operated by Chello Zone. A new board will be formed with representatives from CBS and Chello Zone to guide the strategy and direction.

Niall Curran, Chellomedia’s president, said: “Chellomedia continues to be highly focused on building and growing the portfolio of TV channels internationally; it is very much part of our strategy to work with the best brands in entertainment; we are delighted with the partnership we have built with CBS, and we are committed to delivering growth, subscribers and performance for this partnership.”

Armando Nuñez, CBS Studios International’s president, commented: “This is another terrific international business opportunity using CBS’s wealth of content and globally recognized brand for equity in an exciting growth venture. It opens yet another new international distribution outlet for our vast programming library, provides another way to monetize our content and complements our strong ongoing licensing of programming around the world. The team at Chello have been outstanding partners, matching their considerable channel expertise with our world-class content. We look forward to this new and bigger chapter of a great partnership.”

Dermot Shortt, the CEO of Chello Zone, added: “The upcoming launch of our new CBS Chello Zone channels is a move which will excite all our partners and audiences. It marks a great new step in our partnership with CBS Studios International, and begins a new era for both companies in the region. The U.K. channels have grown impressively and we look forward to emulating that success across EMEA, bringing the iconic CBS program library to our millions of dedicated viewers.”