ITV Granada Extends Reach With New Carriage Deals

ITV Studios Global Entertainment have announced a host of new carriage deals for its leading Asia-based entertainment channel ITV Granada, with major pay TV platforms in the Middle East, India and South Korea adding the channel.
The agreements include the launch of ITV Granada in the Middle East via the OSN DTH network. The channel will make its debut in late 2011 to subscribers throughout the region, reaching territories such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Cyprus, Turkey, Egypt and the UAE.
In a deal with India's Bharti Airtel network, ITV Granada will join India’s fastest growing DTH platform later this year. The agreement will see the channel launching in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan.
Finally, South Korea's largest cable operator CJ HelloVision has signed to broadcast ITV Granada via its "CJ Tving" service which provides 140 channels viewable on PCs, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs.
Augustus Dulgaro, SVP Sales Asia Pacific at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, commented said: "The high-quality line-up of UK-produced programming available on ITV Granada is attracting huge interest in Asia and the Middle East. Since its launch the channel's reach has rapidly increased throughout the region and we are delighted to sign these new agreements which will bring ITV Granada to a range of key territories. It is an exciting time in the channel's development and we welcome OSN, Bharti Airtel and CJ HelloVision to our suite of affiliates."
(CD)