| MUMBAI:
UK media company ITV has announced that ITV Worldwide, Granada International and
Granada Ventures will be renamed ITV Global Entertainment. Led
by ITV Global Entertainment president and MD Peter Iacono, the newly named company
acts as ITV's global distribution arm for television, home entertainment, publishing,
consumer products and international networks businesses. Combining
the merged Granada International and Granada Ventures businesses, which have until
now been referred to as ITV Worldwide, ITV Global Entertainment Ltd distributes
thousands of hours of television series, television movies and films from ITV
Productions and many other independent producers to more than 200 countries worldwide.
Its
consumer products division has more than 250 licencees across 70 countries, and
Home Entertainment specialist ITV DVD has already become one of the top 10 DVD
suppliers in the UK with a burgeoning international presence. ITV Global Entertainment
is part of ITV's Global Content Division which unites all of ITV's UK and international
production and content businesses. The
ITV Global Entertainment programme portfolio boasts every possible genre, from
highly successful dramas such as Prime Suspect, Lewis, Lost In Austen and the
highly anticipated Britannia High; ground-breaking factual entertainment including
the award-winning Up series and I Shouldn't Be Alive to hit entertainment and
formats such as I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, Hell's Kitchen and
Dancing On Ice. Dramas such as Coronation Street are also included
in the catalogue. The
company also represents British feature films comprising more than 1,500 titles
with titles such as The African Queen, Bugsy Malone and The Ipcress
Fi. Iacono
says, "I'm thrilled to announce our new name. We are proud to be part of
the ITV family, we operate all around the world and our fantastically broad range
of shows and brands delivers true entertainment to millions of people. With our
new multi-disciplined teams in place, applying an innovative 360 philosophy to
all parts of our business, we are now extremely well placed to build ITV into
a truly global brand." ITV
Global Content MD Lee Bartlett says, "As we open even more doors through
the growth of our own productions and develop our relationships with the independent
producers who create must see content, the strength and global outreach of our
distribution arm has become even more important to our business. I am delighted
to see ITV Global Entertainment come to life on the international stage." | 
