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NBC UNIVERSAL CABLE ENTERTAINMENT UNCLOAKS 'SLEUTH' - NEW CRIME/MYSTERY/SUSPENSE GENRE CABLE NETWORK
NBC UNIVERSAL CABLE ENTERTAINMENT UNCLOAKS 'SLEUTH' - NEW CRIME/MYSTERY/SUSPENSE GENRE CABLE NETWORK
Sleuth Due for Launch January 1, 2006 and Will Be Anchored by Crime TV Classics Such as "Miami Vice" and Movies Including "Casino"
Time Warner Cable First Affiliate
Burbank, CA - November 2, 2005 - NBC Universal Cable Entertainment announces the launch of SLEUTH, a 24-hour entertainment cable channel dedicated to the popular - and enduring - crime, mystery and suspense genre. The announcement was made today by Jeff Gaspin, President, NBC Universal Cable Entertainment, Digital Content and Cross Network Strategy and David Zaslav, President, NBC Universal Cable.
SLEUTH, launching January 1, 2006, will be the first network to offer a digital triple pack service, which features a standard definition digital channel (SD), hi-definition simulcast channel (HD), and a video-on-demand (VOD) channel offered as a digital bundle. The SD digital channel will be available January 1, 2006, with the VOD and HD offerings available later in 2006.
At launch the network will have more than 5 million subscribers through distribution deals with Time Warner Cable, the first affiliate to carry SLEUTH.
The new channel will feature crime and mystery classics from NBC Universal's extensive library of feature films, classic television shows, reality series and documentaries. Programming includes popular and cult television series like "Miami Vice," "The A-Team," and "Knight Rider." Crime, mystery and suspense films like "Scarface," "The Jackal," "Casino," "Sneakers" and "Mercury Rising" will be in the SD and HD lineups, with at least 20 hours of content from the channels offered on demand at any given time to consumers.
"We're thrilled to offer one core channel with three digital products with Sleuth," said Gaspin. "Crime, mystery and suspense are the all time most popular television genres and Sleuth will be a network devoted exclusively to these genres. The programming on Sleuth, tapped from NBC Universal's vast library, will appeal to a broad audience who will be able to enjoy everything from classic films and nostalgic TV shows to current documentaries and series."
"When we closed the deal with Universal, we were focused on launching a new channel utilizing the valuable library that was available and that was highly appealing to consumers and to our distributors," said Zaslav. "After talking to our customers and looking at the research regarding programming that people want, we decided to focus on Sleuth. We have received a lot of support from our distributors and Time Warner was the first affiliate to commit to launching Sleuth to more than 5 million subscribers."
The specific programming schedule for SLEUTH will be announced at a later date.
About NBC Universal Cable
NBC Universal Cable, a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's preeminent media companies, drives the company's cable strategic development and growth including video-on-demand, pay-per-view, HDTV and retransmission consent, and oversees the cable distribution, marketing and local ad sales of fifteen properties (Bravo, CNBC, CNBC World, MSNBC, mun2, NBC Weather Plus, SCI FI, ShopNBC, Sleuth Telemundo, Telemundo Puerto Rico, Trio, Universal HD, USA and the Olympics on cable). NBC Universal Cable also directs and manages the company's cable and new media investments including A&E, The History Channel, History Channel International, The Biography Channel, National Geographic International, the Sundance Channel and Tivo.
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