Digiturk Adds Six Viacom Channels

MILAN/ISTANBUL: Six channels from the Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) bouquet are joining the satellite platform Digiturk to air across the Turkish market for the next six years.

MTV and MTV Live HD start broadcasting on Digiturk as of March 1. The MTV flagship channel will be broadcast with localized Turkish-language subtitles. Nickelodeon will be broadcast exclusively on Digiturk, with the channel launching March 1 and the preschool Nick Jr. service and Nickelodeon HD scheduled to launch in the coming months. The VH1 channel will continue to air exclusively on Digiturk in the region. Digiturk will also become VIMN’s advertising sales partner as part of the new deal and will be responsible for local advertising deals for MTV and Nickelodeon in the market.

“We’re pleased to announce our new partnership with Digiturk for the distribution of our channels across Turkey,” said Antonio Campo Dall’Orto, the executive VP for VIMN South Europe, Middle East & Africa. “We look forward to partnering with them for years to come to deliver our world-famous entertainment brands to the Turkish market. We’re excited to be expanding our presence in the Turkey, where we see vast opportunities to grow and strengthen our youth and kids’ properties.”

Esra Özaral Altop, Digiturk’s head of content acquisition, said “As the country’s leading digital platform, we are very pleased to host both the MTV and Nickelodeon channels in Turkey. Our subscribers will enjoy the privilege of watching Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nickelodeon HD and VH1 channels exclusively and the MTV channels within our entertainment offering, including for the first time the superior quality of MTV Live HD.

“Our principal aim is to continually bring inspiring content to our subscribers, especially our younger viewers. We believe that quality is the key factor in accomplishing that goal. With this mission in mind, it is a great pleasure for us to continue our extensive partnership with VIMN, who operate the leading children’s and youth channels worldwide. We are looking forward to working together and believe that this partnership will be most beneficial for both of our companies in the Turkish market.”