Turner unveils Warner-branded channel for India

Turner and Warner Bros Entertainment, leading Hollywood studio, today announced the launch of WB, a new Warner-branded channel for India featuring blockbuster motion pictures and hit television series.

To be available in Indian homes from Sunday, 15 March 2009, WB is Turner's brand new 24-hour, English-language entertainment channel for India, which will showcase programming licensed from Warner Bros International Television Distribution (WBITD).

Together with HBO, WB expands Turner's English entertainment package in India and reinforces the commitment by Turner and Warner Bros. Entertainment to provide quality entertainment programming to the Indian viewer. The channel will be distributed by Zee-Turner and will be available on both DTH and C&S platforms.

"Following on the successful launch of Real, our first Hindi general entertainment channel, early this week, we are thrilled to be introducing another distinctive new channel from Turner Broadcasting, WB," said Steve Marcopoto, president, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc.

Marcopoto added, "For nearly two decades Turner Broadcasting Systems has built its leadership in the India media and entertainment industry on a bedrock of rich, powerful and compelling content. Now we expand our foundation with WB, leveraging the greatest hits from the largest and fastest-growing film and television library in the world. With a distinctive feel and creatively presented franchises, it will indeed be "entertainment made better."

 WB targets the upscale and affluent Indian audience with a colossal appetite for Hollywood's best, around the clock. The channel promises to offer hit movies and series on a single destination.

Siddharth Jain, vice president and deputy general manager, distribution and business operations, South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited, said, ''Our tag line: Now That's Hollywood!, encapsulates and highlights our edge, positioning and programming. Sourcing our content from a premium and legendary studio, Warner Bros Entertainment, WB will consistently offer Hollywood's best, akin to an entertainment buff playing the best of the best from his personal, DVD collection, at all times. The channel will bring the best of award- winning Hollywood entertainment to TV sets in India, slickly packaged.''

The launch of WB in India continues the strategy of launching branded services around the globe, featuring content produced and distributed by the legendary studio. Like Latin America's Warner Channel, WB in India will be a 24-hour linear offering. In addition to these linear channels, subscription- and advertiser-supported video-on-demand branded services have launched under the Warner TV banner throughout the world.

Warner TV has launched with Top Up TV, Tiscali, Virgin Media and BT in the U.K.; FASTWEB in Italy; ProSieben in Germany; OnDemandDeutschland in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland; USEN Corporation's GyaO in Japan; and Free in France.

Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, president, Warner Bros. International Television, said, ''We are pleased to be providing our programming and the iconic Warner brand to our sister company Turner to launch WB branded service and to bring the best of Hollywood entertainment to viewers in India. Available 24 hours per day, WB will showcase our world-class motion picture franchises and hit TV series, and we look forward to working closely with Turner to make WB a hit with Indian viewers.''

Primetime viewing on WB will include franchises such as WB Platinum that will showcase channel premieres; WB Nitro will feature the biggest actions hits to hit town; WB Triple Play features ''must-see'' movies that are all-time entertainers that viewers would want to watch over and over and over again; WB Cinematheque is the answer to everything for the Classic Film fan – the finest cinematic masterpieces, movie stars, directors and all the things viewers love about Hollywood; and WB Premieres will offer an interesting mix of comedy and drama series.

The launch of WB in India continues the strategy of launching branded services around the globe, featuring content produced and distributed by the legendary studio. Like Latin America's Warner Channel, WB in India will be a 24-hour linear offering. In addition to these linear channels, subscription- and advertiser-supported video-on-demand branded services have launched under the Warner TV banner throughout the world. Warner TV has launched with Top Up TV, Tiscali, Virgin Media and BT in the U.K.; FASTWEB in Italy; ProSieben in Germany; OnDemandDeutschland in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland; USEN Corporation's GyaO in Japan; and Free in France.