MUMBAI: It's back to original base on the distribution front for Hollywood movie channel HBO, which announced today a new ad sales and distribution arrangement for India.

Effective 1 January, 2005, HBO's advertising sales will be exclusively managed by Turner International India and distribution through its Zee Turner joint venture in India.
 
 
The "switch back" to Turner will come about at the end of the two-year distribution deal that HBO had entered into with Sony Entertainment Television India in January 2003. "HBO appreciates the fine effort made by SET India and the SET Discovery One Alliance in growing our business in the competitive India market," HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink was quoted as saying in a company statement.
 
 
HBO South Asia entered the India market in September 2000 as a joint venture company of Time Warner Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, Universal Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment and was initially on the Zee platform. 

"The Zee Turner alliance will allow us to build on the strong growth we have enjoyed over the last several years," Spink said. 

"Having successfully partnered with HBO to launch the channel in India several years ago, we are proud to be in business together again. We are intimately acquainted with this Time Warner brand and thrilled about our prospects to grow the channels business in the years ahead through our Zee Turner partnership, said Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. president and managing director Steve Marcopoto.

"We are excited to have HBO join Zee Turner, the largest bouquet of channels in India. With this addition, we clearly become the market leaders in providing entertainment to every class of the Indian community, said Zee Turner CEO Dheeraj Kapuria.