Warner Bros. to Introduce Branded Channels Around the World

BURBANK, November 21:
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) has announced it
will be launching a number of branded, video-on-demand, non-linear channels on
a subscription- and advertiser-supported basis over a variety of delivery
platforms in a number of territories.

The new channels will be
called Warner TV and will build upon the successful linear Warner Channel that
has been operating in Latin America for over 10 years. The aim of this new
initiative is to create Warner Bros.-branded entertainment destinations that
will provide consumers with on-demand access to some of the studio’s
top-quality programming.

In the U.K., Warner TV is
on Virgin Media’s digital cable platform and on BT’s IPTV television platform.
This service is available to all on-demand subscribers and is not sold on a
separate à la carte basis. Warner
TV is the first branded entertainment channel in the U.K. devoted to TV series
programming from a single studio provider and is one of the few branded
destinations that is not associated with a linear channel in the U.K.

Warner TV in the U.K.
features episodes of several series, including: The West Wing, Nip/Tuck, The
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The O.C., Joey, Babylon 5; Close to Home and All of Us. More series will become available throughout the first year,
including: ER, Friends, Two and a Half Men, Smallville, The New Adventures
of Old Christine and Supernatural.

“We’re thrilled to launch
Warner TV in the U.K. with Virgin and BT as our valued partners in bringing
this new branded entertainment service to U.K. consumers,” said Jeffrey R.
Schlesinger, the president of Warner Bros. International Television. “We remain
committed to finding new and innovative ways to make our programming accessible
to viewers at their convenience, and we are excited to continue delivering
quality motion pictures and television programs from Warner Bros. to audiences
around the world via these branded channels.”

In other territories
around the world, Warner Bros. had already announced a deal with Japan’s USEN
Corporation for a Warner TV channel on USEN’s ad-supported broadband
broadcasting service, GyaO. That service made its debut in September. Another
Warner TV service was launched in France on the Free IPTV platform on a
subscription basis. After a soft launch in July, it has already attracted more
than 25,000 subscribers paying 5.99 euros per month for access. This service is
a combination of feature films and television series made available after their
initial telecast on linear terrestrial broadcasters. A second deal has also
been closed in France with Orange, which will see a series-based Warner TV zone
launched on their IPTV television on-demand service later this year.

“We also plan to announce
a number of other branded SVOD, AVOD and linear channels in a variety of
countries during the upcoming months, added Schlesinger. “Many of these negotiations
are in final stages and will be completed shortly. We feel these new services
will be a compelling offering for digital cable platforms, IPTV operators and
broadband aggregators looking for high-quality programming with a world-class
entertainment brand. The fact that in most countries outside Latin America
there is not a Warner linear channel makes this offering even more appealing as
it will be viewed as something new and distinct by subscribers and viewers.”

—By Anna Carugati