Yes Television, the leading IP-based solutions provider for interactive TV, is launching the first BBC-branded video-on-demand channel.

An agreement between Yes and BBC Worldwide will see the BBC channel running on Yes Television’s UK service from April 2001. This BBC-branded area will comprise several hundred hours of top quality British programming, including: popular sitcoms such as Absolutely Fabulous, Men Behaving Badly and Birds of a Feather; factual titles such as Walking With Dinosaurs and The Natural World; lifestyle series such as Ground Force and The Naked Chef; children’s programming such as Tweenies and Teletubbies.

The BBC channel will sit alongside the existing Yes-branded channels Yes Movies, Yes One, Yes Music, Yes Shop, Yes Sport, Yes Kids and Yes Learning. Other third-party channels currently available on Yes Television in the UK include the movie channel u>direct films and the travel channel TV Travel Shop. Further third-party branded channels will be added to the service over the coming months.

Toby Russell, Director of Content, Yes Television, said: ‘We have always encouraged branding by third parties on the Yes Television platform. We believe that strong broadcast and Internet brands like the BBC have everything to gain from on-demand services and we are delighted to reach such an agreement with them. The BBC channel will ensure that the BBC brand remains prominent, while giving Yes Television customers access to top quality content.’

Simon Danker, Head of UK & Ireland Television, BBC Worldwide said: ‘The launch of BBC-branded channels continues to be an important element of BBC Worldwide’s relationship with on-demand service providers. We are delighted that Yes Television subscribers have this area on the service where they know they can go to access the best in British programming’.

For further information please contact:
Steve Garvey
Director of Communications
Yes Television
Tel: + 44 (0) 20 7907 5725
mobile: + 44 (0) 7801 341 527
email: steveg@yestelevision.com