LIVING Secures Deal for U.S. Dramas from BVITV

LONDON, March 29: Virgin
Media Television-owned entertainment channel LIVING has reached a new agreement
with Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) for the exclusive U.K. rights
to two U.S. dramas, the supernatural drama Ghost Whisperer and the procedural drama Criminal Minds.

LIVING plans to launch Ghost Whisperer in the U.K. from the second season. Ghost
Whisperer stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as
Melinda Gordon, who communicates with earthbound spirits and ghosts who cling
to the living because they have unfinished business.

LIVING has acquired the exclusive U.K. rights to multiple
seasons of Criminal Minds, starting from
the second season, and will now be the exclusive broadcaster of the show. The
first season of the show was launched on LIVING in 2006, and made LIVING the
top pay-TV channel in its slot. The second series of the show, which launched
on March 2 on LIVING, has done even better, averaging 459,000 adults, a 40
percent increase over the first season. Criminal Minds revolves around an elite team of FBI profilers who
analyze the country’s most twisted criminal minds before they strike again.

Claudia Rosencrantz, the director of programs at LIVING,
noted: “We were determined to get both Ghost Whisperer and Criminal Minds exclusively on LIVING and are absolutely delighted
to be able to announce that we have. The deal is hugely significant for us,
both in terms of our financial investment and the commitment each show will
receive from us as we nurture and build both brands.”