On Demand Deutschland (ODD), the joint venture between On Demand Group (ODG) and Tele München Gruppe (TMG), has concluded a multiyear licensing agreement with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution to launch Warner TV, a new subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) branded service which will provide theatrical motion pictures and TV content from Warner Bros. to viewers in Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland. The announcement was made today by Tony Kelly and Bernd Schloeterrer, both joint CEO, ODD; and Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television.
Under terms of the agreement, ODD will launch the subscription-based Warner TV channel via its operating partners in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. ODD has concluded a content management deal for the Warner TV service via aonTV, the Digital TV service of Telekom Austria. Programming available on the Warner TV service will include an exciting range of Warner Bros.-distributed movies, including major titles from the “Batman,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Lethal Weapon” and “National Lampoon” franchises, and many more, on a monthly subscription basis. The Warner TV package of television series includes classic titles such as “Friends,” “ER,” “Nip/Tuck,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Babylon 5,” “Joey” and “V,” which subscribers will be able to enjoy at a time that best suits them.
“This agreement with ODD reaffirms our commitment to the branded services business and marks our first such channel in both Austria and German-speaking Switzerland,” said WBITV President Jeffrey R. Schlesinger. “We want to provide viewers a legal and reliable way to watch our major movie and television titles conveniently whenever they want on demand.”
“This deal is a key strategic deal for us to be able to offer our operating partners the ability to offer attractive SVOD services to drive VOD penetration and viewing rates,” said Tony Kelly, joint CEO, ODD.
“We are planning a major push in the growth of VOD and SVOD services throughout the territory over the next 12 months and the agreement with Warner is a major addition to the appeal of our content service offer,” added Bernd Schloetterer, joint CEO, ODD.
The launch of Warner TV on ODD continues WBITD’s strategic expansion into subscription- and advertiser-supported video-on-demand branded services around the world. WBITD has previously launched Warner TV VOD channels with Top Up TV, Tiscali, Virgin Media and BT in the U.K., FASTWEB in Italy, ProSieben in Germany, USEN Corporation’s GyaO in Japan, and Free in France, with an additional service planned for later in 2008 in India.
