Curtain Rises On Viacom's New Movie Channel

From C21Media:

Curtain rises on Viacom film channel

Viacom International Media Networks’ (VIMN) new Paramount Channel has debuted in its first market, Spain, ahead of a global roll-out.

The 24-hour movie network, which is due to start broadcasting on Friday, will be available as a free-to-air network on Spanish digital terrestrial TV and will offer more than 600 titles per year.

While primarily it will be home to Paramount’s catalogue of content, airing films such as The Godfather and American Beauty, in Spain it will also feature some local titles and a small selection of films acquired from rival studios Miramax and Sony.

“The cornerstone of the Paramount Channel in all markets will be Paramount product, and then, based on the specifics of the market, we’ll supplement that,” VIMN president and CEO Bob Bakish told C21.

When the channel rolls out globally, Bakish said he wants it to be part of VIMN’s “brand bouquet around the world,” alongside its existing brands such as MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. He wouldn’t rule out launching the net as a pay-TV brand in some markets.

“We have strong positions and strong teams in all the key markets around the world. We’re working on refining a pretty long list of opportunities for Paramount,” he said, claiming the Spanish launch would be “the first of many.”

The Paramount Channel is part of VIMN’s wider plan to strengthen its adult-focused brands around the world, demonstrated by its ongoing Comedy Central expansion.

“Even as recently as the last six months we’ve stepped up significantly, launching Comedy Central in Africa in December, India in January, all of Latin America in February, and in fact this week we’re also announcing we’re launching in Russia,” said Bakish

The Paramount Channel is the fourth VIMN network to air in Spain, alongside DTT network MTV and pay channels Nickelodeon and Paramount Comedy. The company first trailed plans for the launch at Mipcom last year. C21 revealed earlier this year that Spain would be first.

Andrew McDonald
27-03-2012
©C21Media

Viacom is the parent company of the Nickelodeon brand, which includes Nickelodeon Movies.