BWI: HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS Go On-Air

Press release from Business Wire India
Source: HBO Asia
Tuesday, February 26, 2013 12:13 PM IST (06:43 AM GMT)
Editors: General: Consumer interest, Entertainment, People; Business: Business services, Media & entertainment
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HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS Go On-Air
HBO Asia and EROS announce distribution deals with leading DTH operators Dish TV & Airtel Digital TV

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Tuesday, February 26, 2013 -- (Business Wire India) -- HBO Asia and Eros International Media Limited today announced the launch of HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS in India with two of the leading DTH operators, Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV. These carriage deals come shortly after the December 2012 announcement of the landmark strategic tie-up between HBO Asia and Eros to launch two new premium advertising-free movie channels in India. The channels are currently on air and will be available for a free preview in the initial phase of the launch.

HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS will showcase the best of Hollywood and Bollywood content through HD and SD* feeds on Dish TV (channels 24 and 25 on HD and 414 and 415 on SD boxes respectively) and SD feed on Airtel Digital TV (channels 199 and 200 respectively). These will be offered at a special introductory price of Rs.49**& Rs.69** for SD and HD services respectively.

"The launch of HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS on Dish TV and Airtel Digital TV will reach out to a wide network of subscribers all over India," said Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia. "Subscribers in India will be able to enjoy a first class cinema experience that is 100% advertising free in the comfort of their own home."

Jyoti Deshpande, Executive Director, Eros International Media Limited said, "We are excited about the quick response from the DTH operators to offer our premium channels to their customer base and are thankful to Dish and Airtel for partnering with us. We are confident that our compelling and unique content offering of Bollywood and Hollywood plus an advertising-free viewing experience will make this an instant hit with subscribers".

Catering to all movie lovers and each having a distinct identity, HBO DEFINED (www.hbodefined.in) is a 24-hour advertising-free premium programming subscription service and home of the latest Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters and award-winning HBO Originals, while HBO HITS (www.hbohits.in) is a high-octane 24-hour advertising-free premium subscription service that is packed full of entertainment with a bold, honest and unapologetic attitude and indulges the viewers with genre driven anchors and iconic HBO Original series.

Over the next few months viewers can expect an overwhelming line-up of "first time in India" Hollywood blockbuster premieres such as Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Bollywood premières of titles such as Chakravyuh, Award winning titles such as The Iron Lady and exclusive and award-winning HBO Original programmes such as Veep, Game of Thrones, True Blood and Boardwalk Empire as they premiere close to U.S. airdates. In addition, dual language options of either English or Hindi are available for selected Hollywood blockbusters. Some of the upcoming titles in dual language are Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Part 2, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Journey 2 Mysterious Island.

A high impact multi-media marketing campaign will be launched to promote the two new channels across platforms. The campaign will commence mid-March.

*Dish SD feed will go on air 28th February onwards. ** Pack price, available for limited period only.

Log on for social media updates: http://www.facebook.com/HBOPremium/info.

About HBO Asia

HBO Asia is able to bring the best of Hollywood to Asia first because of its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood studios. In addition to the proprietary and award-winning HBO Original programs that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers, HBO Asia works with a large number of major independent production companies to secure exclusive rights to a host of quality movies. In Asia, HBO Asia offers five subscription movie channels with uninterrupted programming in SD and HD formats - HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS and CINEMAX - as well as a subscription video-on-demand service, HBO ON DEMAND. In South Asia, it offers HBO, HBO DEFINED and HBO HITS in SD and HD formats. HBO Asia is a joint venture of HBO (a Time Warner company) and Paramount. For more information, please visit: www.hboasia.com or www.hbosouthasia.com.

About Eros International Media Ltd.

Eros International Media Ltd. (BSE Script Code: 533261; NSE Script Code: EROSMEDIA) is a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry that acquires, co-produces and distributes Indian films across all available formats such as cinema, television and digital new media. Eros International is part of Eros International Plc, which was the first Indian media Company to get listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchange. Eros International has experience of over three decades in establishing a global platform for Indian cinema. The Company has a competitive advantage through its extensive and growing movie library comprising of over 1,100 films, which include Hindi, Tamil, and other regional language films for home entertainment distribution. Eros International has built a dynamic business model by combining the release of new films every year with the exploitation of its film library. For further information please visit: www.erosintl.com.


CONTACT DETAILS
Sukriti Kalra, IPAN H+K Strategies, +91 9910393262, sukriti.kalra@hkstrategies.com

KEYWORDS
CONSUMER, ENTERTAINMENT, PEOPLE, BUSINESS SERVICES, MEDIA

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