- The Guardian,
- Saturday September 30 2000
Cable group NTL yesterday announced a joint venture with Hollywood studio Universal for a film channel that will form part of the group's basic package of channels.
The Studio has already signed a line-up of films including Born on the Fourth of July, Babe, The Flintstones and True Lies.
The joint venture is part of NTL's aim to build its own content instead of relying too heavily on products from Sky, as well as generating additional revenues by selling the channels to other broadcasters.
NTL owns British Eurosport, has the rights to pay-per-view Premiership football and is a shareholder in the ITN 24-hour news channel. It is also an investor in pay-per-view movie brand, Front Row, and is understood to be planning another sports channel.
Rupert Murdoch's BSkyB has so far led the way, with the development of pay-TV channels in Britain.
"Content is critically important to us," said Steven Wagner, managing director of media and marketing at NTL. "We want to be in the key genres of programming including movies, sport and news."
The Studio will feature films from various producers in addition to Universal products. Mr Wagner said discussions were under way with other platforms including Sky Digital, ONdigital and Telewest to secure distribution deals.
"We are trying to expand our basic channel universe to get more people watching multi-channel TV, and then you have a very powerful way of cross-promoting premium channels," he added. Many of the movies will appear on premium pay channels between three and six months before reaching The Studio.
The agreement gives Universal a second pay-TV business in Britain in addition to the Sci-fi Channel .
