NCIS Mark Harmon - H 2013
CBSLONDON – CBS Corp. is broadening the reach of its networks in Britain via a new carriage deal with telecom company TalkTalk.
The firm, which competes with other U.K. pay TV providers, will start offering CBS Action, CBS Drama, CBS Reality +1 and the Horror Channel. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
CBS Drama shows include Judge Judy, Flashpoint, Touched by an Angel and the original Dallas. CBS Reality airs such favorites as 48 Hours, Cops and Hoarders. CBS Action fare includes CSI, NCIS, Cheers and Bonanza.
The CBS portfolio of U.K. channels is also available via BSkyB, in which Rupert Murdoch‘s 21st Century Fox owns a 39 percent stake, cable giant Virgin Media and other platforms.
The CBS Studios International unit and AMC Networks International, previously Liberty Global’s Chellomedia, have a channels partnership for Europe and other international markets.
When the deal was struck, CBS got a 30 percent stake in the venture in return for contributing its programming and its brand name.
Tanya Gugenheim, chief business development officer at AMC Networks International — Zone, formerly Chello Zone, said: “2014 has been our best year to date, with over 10 million adults tuning into a CBS channel each month.”
She added: “We will be able to connect with even more people by tapping into TalkTalk TV’s ever-growing and extremely diverse consumer base, which proves a great fit with our channels.”
Email: Georg.Szalai@THR.com
Twitter: @georgszalai
