MUMBAI: Building on its long-term relationship with the Croatian public broadcaster HRT, Buena Vista International Television (BVITV) has concluded a new multi-genre, Multi-year agreement with the broadcaster for the licensing of features, live action series, animated series and a new Disney branded timeslot. This has been announced by BVITV vice president, sales EMEA Alison Homewood at MIPCOM in Cannes.
 

With this agreement, HRT will broadcast a Disney branded timeslot for the first time, which will run once a week from January 2005. The show will showcase a selection of Disney animation, such as Disney's Aladdin: The Series and Disney's Timon & Pumbaa.

 
First-run features in the package will include the M Night Shyamalan thriller Signs, Bringing Down the House, with Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, the family comedy Snow Dogs, and the 2002 action-adventure The Count of Monte Cristo. Repeat feature titles include the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced Armageddon, Con Air, and Enemy of the State.

In addition, HRT has licensed season three of the international hit series Alias, Scrubs and According to Jim, plus year two of the comedy series 8 Simple Rules. HRT will also start broadcasting the hit comedy My Wife and Kids, starring Damon Wayans, for the first time.

This agreement was negotiated for BVITV by Rory Buckley, senior sales executive, Central and Eastern Europe.

Homewood said, 'We are pleased to be working again with HRT, with whom we have a long term association, in developing their channel's programming. With this agreement HRT will receive a great new driver of younger audiences in the form of the new Disney branded show, and also a broad selection of hit live action programming for older age groups."