Warner TV Heads to Italy

MILAN, September 8:
FASTWEB in Italy is launching Warner TV, a new branded SVOD service from Warner
Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) that includes hit programs
like Friends, E.R. and Smallville.

FASTWEBTV subscribers can view a variety of series,
including Cold Case, The
O.C. and La Femme Nikita, along with a selection of cartoons such as Looney
Tunes: Back in Action, Scooby-Doo
and the Witch’s Ghost and Tom
& Jerry: The Magic Ring. The
offering also features 150 Warner Bros. movies across all genres, including The
Matrix Reloaded, Mad Max, The Goonies, The Shining and Poltergeist.

“We are so excited to be launching the Warner TV
on-demand channel,” said Alessandro Petazzi, FASTWEB’s head of media and TV.
“Since the launch of its IPTV service, FASTWEB has been committed to providing
customers with fresh and compelling content on an on-demand basis and has
signed many agreements with the main local and international content providers.
The addition of Warner Bros. content further enriches our portfolio and the
launch of a Warner TV branded and managed on-demand channel is in line with
FASTWEB’s most recent strategy of blending the benefits of video on demand with
the advantages of traditional channels."

“Our partnership with FASTWEB expands upon our
international branded services business and marks the debut of our first such
service in Italy,” commented Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, the president of WBITD.
“Warner TV will offer motion picture and television programming that Italian
viewers will have the ability to access through FASTWEB, providing consumers
with the opportunity to view great content from Warner Bros. wherever and
whenever they want it.”

WBITD has launched Warner
TV VOD channels with ProSieben in Germany, USEN Corporation’s GyaO in Japan,
Free TV in France and Top Up TV, Tiscali, Virgin Media and BT in the U.K., with
additional service planned for later in the year in India.

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski