Cinemagic spells a first for NTL Telewest

Recently merged UK cableco NTL Telewest has signed its first unified UK-wide carriage deal, with Disney adding new premium channel Cinemagic to the platform and its other channels going into basic.

In an agreement mirroring the one signed with satcaster BSkyB last month, from today UK digital cable subscribers will be able to get Cinemagic as a stand-alone premium service, with existing Disney Channel and Playhouse Disney added to NTL’s Family package and Telewest’s Supreme Pack.

The moves, along with the arrival of Disney Channel and Playhouse in BSkyB’s basic tier, will significantly widen the channels’ UK reach, and “allow more viewers to enjoy our programming,” said Rob Gilby, VP and MD of Disney Channels UK, Scandinavia and Middle East.

The repositioning of Disney’s channels in the pay-TV packages goes hand-in-hand with a change of focus on each network. Cinemagic is the new home to Disney’s latest animated films, such as the big-hitters from Pixar Studios, while Disney Channel is the home to TV series and telefilms, and Playhouse serves the preschool set.

The NTL Telewest deal also includes Disney content going into the cableco’s video-on-demand service TV On Demand and broadband internet services, including shows like Lilo & Stitch, Kim Possible, Book of Pooh and Lizzie McGuire.

The long-awaited merger of NTL Inc and Telewest Global was completed on March 3, creating the UK’s biggest provider of residential broadband and the leading provider of ‘triple play’ services. Entertainment and communications combined, it reaches some five million homes.