CASBAA, Hong Kong – ITV Global Entertainment Ltd. announced the November 1 debut of Granada TV, its brand new general entertainment channel for Asia, on the ABS-1 satellite. Granada TV will offer viewers contemporary dramas such as Prime Suspect, comedy, reality and talk and entertainment shows such as The Jeremy Kyle Show, The Friday Night Project, Ballroom Bootcamp, Airline, and Vroom Vroom. Many of the programmes have never been seen before in Asia. Peter Iacono, president and managing director, ITV Global Entertainment, said: “With over 50 years of experience as the UK’s number one commercial television network, we are tapping into our unique catalogue of quality content and commercial skills as a broadcaster to bring this new must-see channel to Asia.” “The region is ripe for the launch of a channel which brings high quality, commercially successful TV hits in a contemporary format; and initial feedback from pay TV operators has been very positive,” said James Ross, regional director for ITV Global Entertainment in Asia. “With ITV’s ongoing commitment to creating new content, Granada TV will bring discerning viewers in Asia a continuous offering of fresh, world-class entertainment,” Ross concluded. Initially, the channel will be broadcast in English, with local subtitles to be available in launch markets. Granada TV also announced its first major strategic distribution agreement with NDTV as the exclusive distributor of the channel in India and South Asia, subject to downlink license approval. Further agreements with a number of distribution platforms will be announced in the coming weeks. Granada TV has been available on a limited preview basis in Asia since 23 June and will continue to be broadcast via ABS-1, operated by Asia Broadcast Satellite.