Alibi collars new series of the criminally good Castle and Body of Proof

Alibi, the home of the best British and American crime drama and part of UKTV's network of award-winning channel brands, has increased its commitment to popular ABC Studios shows Castle and Body of Proof by acquiring the exclusive pay TV rights to brand new series of both from Disney UK and Ireland.

UKTV's Head of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, Alexandra Finlay and Disney UK and Ireland brokered the deal which includes seasons 5 and 6 of Castle and seasons 3 and 4 of Body of Proof. The agreement means that Alibi continues to be the first UK channel to premiere new episodes of the hit shows.

Finlay commented: We're delighted to be continuing our strong relationship with Disney. Castle and Body of Proof have been huge successes both Stateside and in the UK and this deal ensures Alibi remains a must-have channel for all fans of crime drama.

Alibi has seen the popularity of Castle increase every season with the fourth series of averaging 366k individuals, up 65% on slot average. Body of Proof has proved even more successful and is Alibi's highest ever rating programme, with season 2 averaging 577k individuals, up 450% on slot average.

Alibi's General Manager, Steve Hornsey, said, Alibi originally brought Castle and Body of Proof to the UK before other broadcasters and this deal means it will continue to do so. Both series have attracted a huge following on Alibi and this is not only reflected in ratings but in the high number of tweets and Facebook messages we receive daily. It's great to repay our viewers' loyalty and passion with the promise of yet more exclusive premium content premiering on Alibi.

Castle, created by Andrew Marlowe, stars Nathan Fillion (Desperate Housewives, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) as Richard Castle, a best-selling mystery novelist. His co-star, Stana Katic, is NYPD Detective Kate Beckett and together they solve New York City's most unusual crimes. In the season 4 finale Castle and Kate finally took their relationship beyond friendship and viewers have been left on the edge of their seats to see what will happen in season 5 (23 x 60') which will premiere on Alibi in March.

Body of Proof stars Dana Delany (Desperate Housewives) as medical examiner Dr. Megan Hunt, a former neurosurgeon forced to change her career after a devastating accident. When it comes to understanding the dead she is remarkable, but her family and relationships have had to take a back seat to her ambition. Season 3 (13 x 60) is scheduled to start on Alibi in July.

In 2012 UKTV become the fastest growing commercial TV network, with a 4.43% share, up 10% compared to 2011. Alibi is also the 8th biggest pay only entertainment channel reaching 4.8m individuals every month.

For more information please contact:

Kerry Parker

Senior Corporate Communications Manager

0207 745 3036 / Kerry.Parker@uktv.co.uk

Emily Jones

Publicist

0207 299 6284 / Emily.Jones1@uktv.co.uk

Note to editors:

About alibi HD (www.theperfectalibi.co.uk)

Alibi is TVs home of crime drama, promising the best selection from the genre, and premieres hit US series like Castle, Body of Proof and Rizzoli & Isles. The channel also features some of British TVs best-known detectives such as Miss Marple and Inspector Lynley, and the crime scene teams of Silent Witness and New Tricks - plus theres murder most foul with the channels popular co-production, Murdoch Mysteries.

Where to find Alibi HD: Sky channel 132 and Virgin TV channel 131.

About UKTV (www.uktv.co.uk)

UKTV is a major industry player and one of the most important and successful multichannel providers in the UK. Formed in 1997, it is an independent commercial joint venture between BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of the BBC, and Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (NYSE: SNI) .

Attracting over 41 million viewers each month, the network consists of 10 distinctive channel brands Watch, Gold, Dave, alibi, Yesterday, Blighty, Eden, Home, Really and Good Food offering a broad range of quality programming across entertainment, lifestyle and factual. UKTV currently operates 25 broadcast streams when its eight multiplexes and five HD channels are taken into account, and 11 highly successful websites. The network also runs video on demand (VOD) services on Sky and BT Vision and is part of TalkTalk on YouView. In addition, UKTV recently launched its own On Demand' services with Dave On Demand and Yesterday On Demand.

UKTV's successful programming strategy combines high profile original commissions and key acquisitions with quality content from the BBC.

All UKTV channels are distributed on Sky and Virgin Media. Dave, Really and Yesterday are also available on Freeview.

LINK:	http://uktv.co.uk/network/item/aid/655828...
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