RTL, CBS partner for Asia
August 14, 2013
RTL Group and CBS Studios International have announced a partnership to launch two thematic channels in Southeast Asia. To be broadcast in English and local languages and distributed in up to 29 Asian markets including Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, the channels will be distributed by cable, satellite and IPTV networks.
The Singapore-based venture will be named RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network.The first channel, RTL CBS Entertainment, is scheduled to roll out in September 2013 with general entertainment hits such as RTL Group’s The X Factor, America’s Got Talent and Celebrity Apprentice as well as CBS’s Elementary, Under the Dome, Late Show with David Letterman and Entertainment Tonight.
This will be followed in spring 2014 with RTL CBS Extreme, a channel dedicated to action adventure, reality series and extreme sports. Programming will include series such as Fear Factor, Red Bull, NCIS: Los Angeles and Hawaii Five-0. Both will be available in HD.
The venture will have access to first-run shows and library titles from RTL Group’s content arm, FremantleMedia, and from CBS, which owns America’s No 1 network, and a catalogue of more than 70,000 hours of programming.