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BBC Worlwide launches first channel in Brazil

Indiantelevision.com Team

(23 May 2012 2:45 pm)

MUMBAI; BBC Worldwide Channels will launch a channel in Brazil for the first time. This will be in partnership with NET Serviços, the biggest telecommunications and entertainment company of Latin America.

BBC HD will be available to Net's Top HD package subscribers starting on 28 May. This deal also includes a branded VOD service agreement which will provide content from BBC Entertainment and the preschool channel, CBeebies.

BBC HD will offer British entertainment content in high definition.For the first time, subscribers will see BBC programmes never seen before in Brazil like 'Top Gear', now in its 18th season, one of the most acclaimed series from the BBC, sold to more than 198 countries and 'Sherlock'.

Global events will also be part of BBC HD in June, beginning with London Calling, a unique season of programming to celebrate the people, music, fashion, art, culture and history of Britain's capital city in the run up to the Olympics.

The season will be led by the spectacular coverage from the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.Planet Earth Live, an ambitious project which is the result of over ten years of innovation in techniques and formats at the BBC Natural History Unit and the biggest wildlife global broadcast ever undertaken by the BBC.

BBC Worldwide president of Worldwide Networks, Global BBC iPlayer Jana Bennett said, "I am thrilled that our channels will now reach audiences in Brazil with the BBC's amazing output. We will deliver the highest quality array of drama, documentaries, factual entertainment and natural history - the very best of British and the best of British talent, all in glorious HD. I'm pleased that this has been made possible through our exciting partnership with Net Serviços".

BBC HD programming will be broadcast in English with Portuguese subtitles and a few titles will be dubbed in Portuguese.

Net Servicos programming director Fernando Magalhaes said, "This launch is a reality due to an unprecedented partnership between Net and BBC, bringing an exclusive channel, with the well known and differentiated production quality that characterises the BBC, and that complements NET's international content offer. This deal will also facilitate our offering of new contents for NOW, NET's exclusive on demand service, that allows viewers to choose the content they wish to view when they want it, with the highest sound and image quality".

Additionally, the VOD offering will bring NET's NOW platform subscribers, programming from BBC Entertainment with reality shows as popular as The Voice (US version) and Got to Dance UK; while preschool channel CBeebies will bring the favourite titles amongst the little ones like Finley the Fire Engine and Waybuloo, among others.