POP Channel & More Head to Virgin Media

LONDON: A trio of Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks channels, including the kids’ network POP, will become available on Virgin Media later this week as part of a new long-term carriage agreement.

POP is SPT Networks’s flagship children’s brand aimed at young viewers between the ages of 4 and 9. The channel features a variety of animated adventure movies and television series, including such exclusive titles as Power Rangers Dino Super Charge, Captain Flinn & The Pirate Dinosaurs, LEGO Friends and Littlest Pet Shop.

Also launching on Virgin Media this month are MovieMix and Movies4Men. The former offers hit contemporary films, including The Fly, I Spy and Die Hard, while the latter is a male-targeted network featuring such war, action and Western-themed movies as Invitation to a Gun Fighter, Support Your Local Sheriff and Valdez is Coming. These two channels and POP will become available to Virgin Media customers on August 25, along with new catch-up on-demand content from POP and Tiny Pop through Virgin Media on demand.

Kate Marsh, the executive VP for Western Europe, International Networks, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Virgin Media to bring these great additional Sony channels to Virgin network audiences, whilst also offering the new catch-up on-demand content for kids who love POP and Tiny Pop. This partnership shows our continued commitment to extending SPT’s channel portfolio reach, bringing a diverse variety of quality entertainment to U.K. homes.”

Pete Chapman, the director of subscription services at Virgin TV, added: “We are building on our leadership in programming by giving our customers three great new Sony channels, offering movie blockbuster classics and fun cartoons for kids. Throughout this year we’ve been expanding our range of on-demand programming, and the addition of Sony channels provides a new range of content we can offer customers. We are also excited to be releasing new catch-up on-demand content for kids from POP and Tiny Pop and are excited about working with Sony on some new concepts.”