Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD) has announced it will launch a number of branded, video-on-demand, non-linear channels on a subscription- and advertiser-supported basis over a variety of delivery platforms.
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 a number of territories.
The on-demand and broadband models make financial sense, says Jeffrey Schlesinger, WBITD’s president. “The costs here are much lower than creating a linear channel. You don’t have as much on-air promotion that you have to do. You don’t have as much scheduling or advertising sales infrastructure. You don’t have to worry about commercial insertion.”
In the UK, 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.
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.
Warner Bros. had also announced a deal with Japan’s USEN Corporation for a Warner TV channel on USEN’s ad-supported broadband broadcasting service, GyaO. Another Warner TV service, a combination of feature films and television series, was launched in France on the Free IPTV platform on a subscription basis. A second deal has also been concluded with Orange in France and a series-based Warner TV zone will be launched on Orange’s IPTV television on-demand serviceshortly.
Commentators say that WBITD should be placed on your “watch list” of companies pioneering how distribution will work in the broadband era.
Source: Variety and World Screen
