Crime & Investigation Network will make its debut in Spain on February 1, 2011. The channel will be operated and distributed in Spain by The History Channel Iberia, a joint venture between A&E Television Networks (AETN) and Chello Multicanal.
At launch, Crime & Investigation Network will reach in excess of 1.5 million subscribers and will be carried by cable operator ONO and Telefonica’s IPTV platform Imagenio. The channel will be fully localised in Spanish and will carry local advertising. It will launch with a slate of AETN’s top crime programming including The First 48, Manhunters and Crime 360.
“I am sure that Crime & Investigation Network will follow the same successful path obtained by The History Channel Iberia with Canal de Historia and Bio in Spain,” said Diego Castrillo general manager of The History Channel Iberia, in a statement. “The combination of the top-rated programming library of AETN, an unique and exquisite design and on-air look, plus the localization factor brought by Chello Multicanal, will surely make Crime & Investigation Network a big success in Spain, as it has proved to be in other major markets.”
“On the back of the outstanding success of Crime & Investigation Network in the UK and Central Europe, it is our plan to launch CI in several major pay TV markets in 2011. We are very pleased to confirm the first of these will be Spain, a significant distribution milestone for us in Europe,” said Dean Possenniskie, managing director, Europe for AETN. “From its first launch in 2005, Crime & Investigation Network has struck a chord with viewers around the world, and we believe that appeal will extend to the advertising and distribution community.”
“This new launch reinforces Chello Multicanal’s position as the leading producer of pay-TV channels in Spain and consolidates our strategic alliance with AETN. Thirteen years ago, this JV was created with which we successfully developed the History and Bio brands in the Iberian market,” said Eduardo Zulueta, general manager of Chello Multicanal. “I’m sure of the enormous potential of Crime & Investigation Network thanks to its unique and original content in the Spanish market. It will help us to achieve greater targets and significantly increase our audience.”
