Fastweb and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution launch the Warner TV branded SVoD service for the first time in Italy

Milan-Fastweb, Italy’s second-largest fixed telecommunications provider, is launching Warner TV, an exciting new entertainment channel from Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD). The non-exclusive new Warner TV channel is a branded subscription video on-demand channel that will be available to FastwebTV subscribers from the 8th September. This is WBITD’s first launch of its Warner TV branded service in Italy.

FastwebTV subscribers will be able to enjoy a wide range of award-winning Warner Bros. television series, movies and cartoons including:

· Many episodes on-demand per year of the world’s most popular TV series including ER, The O.C., Friends, Nip/Tuck, La Femme Nikita, Smallville, Cold Case and classic series such as V (The Visitors) and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
· Kids’ entertainment with cartoon features such as Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost and Tom & Jerry: The Magic Ring, as well as cartoon series such as Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky and the Brain and Batman: The Animated Series.
· 150 Warner Bros. movies across all genres, including The Matrix Reloaded and all-time favourites such as Mad Max, The Goonies, The Shining, Poltergeist and many others included in the FastwebTV package free-of-charge.

“We are so excited to be launching the Warner TV on-demand channel,” said Alessandro Petazzi, Fastweb’s Head of Media & TV. “Since the launch of its IPTV service, Fastweb has been committed to providing customers with fresh and compelling content on an on-demand basis and has signed many agreements with the main local and international content providers. The addition of Warner Bros. content further enriches our portfolio and the launch of a Warner TV branded and managed on-demand channel is in-line with Fastweb’s most recent strategy of blending the benefits of video on demand (”what you want when you want“) with the advantages of traditional channels (editorially managed content, fresh and relevant to specific customer targets, associated with a familiar content brand).”

“Our partnership with Fastweb expands upon our international branded services business and marks the debut of our first such service in Italy,” said Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television. “Warner TV will offer motion picture and television programming that Italian viewers will have the ability to access through Fastweb, providing consumers with the opportunity to view great content from Warner Bros. wherever and whenever they want it.”

The launch of Warner TV on Fastweb in Italy 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., ProSieben in Germany, USEN Corporation’s GyaO in Japan and Free TV in France, with an additional service planned for later in 2008 in India.