Nascent online television service Joost has inked yet another deal with a major content provider: Warner Bros. has announced it will offer science fiction and celebrity news channels on Joost later this month. The deal marks the first time the Warner Bros. Television Group will offer Warner-branded television services online. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.
“As one of the premier television production studios, the fact that Warner Bros. has chosen to create its first online channels on the Joost platform shows that we are creating a unique, communal television experience for viewers where content owners can distribute professionally-produced programming with the quality and security they need,” said Yvette Alberdingk Thijm, executive vice president, content strategy and acquisition.
Warner’s WBTV: Sci-Fi Fix will feature catalog science fiction and genre television shows, like Babylon 5,Max Headroom, and The Adventures of Briscoe County. The celebrity-focused channel, WBTV: Before They Were Stars, will include footage of celebrities like Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Samuel Jackson, Jack Nicholson, and many others before their careers hit the straosphere. Clips will include appearances on Warner Bros. shows like Kung Fu,Spenser for Hire, the inimitable Growing Pains, along with star-launching vehicles like Welcome Back Kotter.
“We believe the advertiser-supported model for classic, current, and original programming is a significant and critical segment of the long-term future of digital distribution,” said Bruce Rosenblum, president of Warner Bros. Television Group, in a statment. “We are thrilled to be a part of Joost’s initial program offerings and to have the opportunity to create Warner Bros.-branded digital program services.”
