SCI FI, Universal Channels Set for Poland Launch

LONDON, November 29: NBC
Universal Global Networks is set to launch fully localized versions of SCI FI
and Universal Channel in Poland on December 1.

The networks will be
available on the digital TV platform ‘n’ and will feature science fiction and
entertainment programming, respectively, including series and blockbuster
movies from a range of distributors, among them NBC Universal, CBS Paramount
and 20th Century Fox.

“We’re thrilled to be
establishing SCI FI and Universal Channel in a market as significant as Poland,”
said Roma Khanna, the president of NBC Universal Global Networks & Digital
Initiatives. “These strategic launches underscore our expansion plans and the
global popularity of our brands.”

The newly launched
channels will be managed by London-based Eleanor McBrien, the interim managing
director for NBC Universal Global Networks in Northern Europe. This is NBC
Universal’s first channel expansion into Central and Eastern Europe, with other
countries in the region to follow in 2008.

Universal Channel’s
offerings include Dexter, Brotherhood and Cane, plus
box-office hits such as Bean, Apollo 13 and Waterworld. SCI
FI, meanwhile, will deliver Flash Gordon, Dark Angel and Futurama, plus movie premieres including King of the Lost
World and Devil’s Den.

—By Mansha Daswani