Virgin Media Television Unveils Acquisitions for New Channel

LONDON, June 14: Virgin Media Television (VMtv) has unveiled
the initial lineup for its new TV channel Virgin 1, including the forthcoming
13×1-hour U.S. drama The Sarah Connor Chronicles, for premiere this fall.

Virgin 1 will launch on its own cable platform and on
Freeview this fall. VMtv has concluded a deal with Warner Bros. International
Television for the exclusive U.K. rights to The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a drama inspired by the Terminator movie franchise. The Sarah Connor
Chronicles will also be available via
Virgin Media’s television on-demand services. The series stars British actress
Lena Headey as the eponymous heroine, as she and her son John find themselves
fugitives from the law, confronted by an ever-evolving technological enemy bent
on destroying their lives, and possibly the world.

In a deal with CBS Paramount International Television,
Virgin 1 has also acquired a total of 624 hours of sci-fi programming from the Star
Trek franchise, with the initial
programming lineup to include everything from Star Trek: The Next Generation all the way through to Star Trek:
Enterprise.

The lineup for Virgin 1 will also include The Leo
Houlding Project (working title) from
Ginger Productions, in which the extreme sports ace and rock-climbing prodigy
gives an adrenaline rush to people in serious need of excitement. Virgin 1 will
also commission factual programming such as The Real Exorcist (working title), which follows America’s top
practitioner of exorcisms, the Rev. Bob Larson.

Celia Taylor, the director of programming for Virgin 1,
commented: "This is only the beginning of what we will do. Virgin 1 is
passionate about bringing fresh, British commissions and the best U.S.
acquisitions to our audience. As a massive Terminator fan, I’m in heaven to
have secured The Sarah Connor Chronicles,
which stood head and shoulders above other content at the LA Screenings. We’re
going to commission the best U.S. and U.K. producers to come up with bold
and brave ideas that always have entertainment at their heart—but
Virgin 1 is also about liberating our viewers with a compelling on-demand offer
and exciting UGC and broadband strategies.”