WASHINGTON: BT Broadcast Services has announced that it has finalised an agreement with Crown Media International to become the cable network operator's primary provider of broadcast transmission services to Asia. The three-year deal will allow Crown Media International to broadcast its Hallmark Channel from Hong Kong facilitating increased penetration of the Asian market.
BT Americas Broadcast Services GM Bill McNamara has been quoted in an official release saying, "We welcome the opportunity to assist Crown Media International and the Hallmark Channel in growing their service capabilities and functionality within the Asian marketplace. Our extensive domestic and international fiber network provides customers like the Hallmark Channel with cost effective distribution to all parts of the world and an enormous amount of flexibility and security in their transmissions."
Crown Media International VP operations Chuck Zabilski said, "We expanded our relationship with BT Broadcast Services as it has the right combination of state-of-the art broadcasting solutions and extensive industry experience necessary for servicing our needs in the dynamic and growing Asian market."
The release states that the new deal continues the successful working relationship between the two companies, as BTBS already services Hallmark's European distribution needs. As part of the BTBS digital network, the Hallmark fiber connectivity runs on a duplex fiber circuit from Denver to Hong Kong. This enables Crown Media International to originate, control and monitor the global distribution of its programming from a play-out center at its Denver headquarters to the Pacific Rim as well as Europe.