HBO Asia & Eros International Launching Two Premium Channels in India

MUMBAI: HBO Asia and Eros International are bringing two new pay-TV movie channels to India, HBO Defined and HBO Hits.

The movie channels are free of advertising and bring together the best of Hollywood and Bollywood to "redefine the pay-TV movie space in India," a statement from the companies said. Further details, including launch dates, have not yet been released.

The alliance also includes the development of HBO’s existing formats for India as well as the creation of original content for the Indian TV market and international distribution.

Kishore Lulla, the executive chairman of Eros International, said, "I’m very excited about building the Eros brand in premium pay television, particularly with an industry leader such as HBO Asia. There are few global companies that have mastered the premium film and TV space like HBO and their global success says it all. We look forward to cultivating new spaces together in India and especially the development of HBO content for TV and online."

"The opportunity to work with Eros, who has such a visibly dominant presence in the Indian film and entertainment arena, is tremendous and together we will aim to deliver a first-class cinema experience in the comfort of your home, 100 percent advertising free," added Jonathan Spink, the CEO of HBO Asia. "We are equally excited to work with Eros in developing compelling original content for the Indian audience. We look forward to more good things to come."