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VIMN lifts the curtain on Paramount Channel in Spain

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) has debuted its newly-launched Paramount Channel in Spain through a partnership with Vocento, ahead of a raft of global roll-outs.

The free-to-air Paramount Channel will begin broadcasting on digital terrestrial television (DTT) on Friday 30 March in Spain, with a premiere of The Godfather.

Spanish viewers will have access to 11 movies per day from the 100-year old Paramount Pictures film library, as well as a selection of local Spanish titles and a small selection of films through deals inked with Miramax and Sony.

The 24-hour movie channel will feature more than 600 films across nine genres including action, family and children, comedy, award winners, crime and mystery, science fiction and fantasy, love and romance, horror and drama. Programmes in the line-up include Breakfast at Tiffany’s, American Beauty, Fatal Attraction, A.I Artificial Intelligence and Elizabethtown.

“With the launch of Paramount Channel, we’re bringing together the powerful combination of Paramount Pictures’ vast and iconic library of film content, and VIMN’s strong expertise in building global TV brands,” VIMN president and chief executive Bob Bakish told M&M Global.

The Paramount Channel is VIMN’s fourth network airing in Spain, joining MTV, Paramount Comedy and Nickelodeon. The channel will be represented by Viacom’s international in-house brand solutions sales business Be Viacom.

The ad-supported channel has attracted a lot of interest from advertisers, says Bakish, but gave no indication of who is already on board.

When the channel rolls out globally, Bakish says he wants it to be “part of VIMN’s brand bouquet around the world” alongside its existing well-established brands. “We have strong positions and team in key markets around the world,” he said. “We’re working on refining a long list of opportunities for Paramount.”

The latest move is part of VIMN’s wider strategy to strengthen its adult-focused brands around the world, most recently demonstrated through the expansion of Comedy Central.

“It’s an exciting year for VIMN,” says Bakish. “Even as recently as the last six months we’ve stepped up significantly, launching Comedy Central in Africa in December, India in January, Latin America in February and this week we’re also announcing the launch of Paramount Comedy in Russia.”

With Paramount Channel, “this is an important strategic step in deepening our presence in a key market, Spain, while expanding our portfolio of adult-targeted brands,” says Bakish. “We’re excited to create a must-see TV destination for movie lovers, which we hope will be the first of many to launch in the coming years.”

Jenni Baker, London