Television
April 3, 2006
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution Signs Free TV Output Deal With Bulgarian Station Nova TV
(April 3, 2006 - Burbank, CA and Sofia) – A multi-year output deal was finalized this week between Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) and Bulgarian broadcaster Nova TV, announced the two companies.
The agreement gives Nova TV the exclusive free television rights to a wide range of WBITD-distributed programs, including the most recent features, television series and miniseries, and animated programming, as well as to some of the top library titles, such as the Batman franchise.
“The Matrix Reloaded,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” are among the Hollywood mega hits which will have their free TV premiere in Bulgaria on Nova, as well as the top current series “Invasion,” “Nip/Tuck” and “Joey.”
“We are delighted to start a partnership with Nova,” said Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television. “We have been watching closely the development of the station in recent years. It is among the fastest-growing broadcasters in Central and Eastern Europe, a region which is a strategic priority for our studio.”
“Warner Bros’ latest features and series, and the animation and film library represent the richest treasury in today’s entertainment industry,” said Nova’s Managing Director Pavel Stanchev. “I am sure our millions of viewers and advertisers will fully enjoy it.”
Nova TV is owned by Antenna Group Greece, the largest media company in South-East Europe. Since 2003 the station has a national license. In the last 5 months Nova has increased its viewing share by around 30% and has a current share of 16%. Its top shows are the reality “Big Brother,” “Deal or No Deal,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” and the newscast “Calendar.”
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programs and animation to the international television marketplace (broadcast, pay cable, basic cable, satellite, pay-per-view, video-on-demand, digital platforms, etc.). It licenses some 48,000 hours of programming (including more than 6,000 features and 74 current series), dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries.
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