Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO®), the U.S.-based premium cable television programming subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., announced today it that it has acquired 100% ownership in its Central European joint-venture company, HBO Central Europe, LLC ("HBO Central Europe"). Previously, HBO Central Europe was jointly held under an equity structure by subsidiaries of HBO, Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company.

"Over the past few years, HBO has moved from a series of minority equity positions to majority ownership of all of its international joint ventures," said Simon Sutton, president, Programming Distribution & International. "We believe HBO Asia, HBO Latin America and now HBO Central Europe are strong businesses that are well positioned to take advantage of the expanding marketplace."

Subscribers of HBO in Central Europe will continue to enjoy the latest and biggest blockbuster hits from ongoing output deals with major Hollywood studios including Warner Bros., Disney and Sony among others, as well as HBO award-winning original programming and local, original programming developed and produced by HBO Central Europe. In addition to the primary HBO and Cinemax linear programming services, which are available in standard and high definition, HBO Central Europe offers multiplex services including HBO2, HBO Comedy and Cinemax 2. An SVOD service, HBO Digital, is now available in a number of markets. HBO Central Europe serves twelve countries in the region: Poland, the Czech Republic, the Slovak Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia.

About HBO Worldwide
Building on its strong position in the U.S., HBO has become a major player in the expanding international market, bringing its renowned programming to worldwide audiences for nearly two decades. By increasing global initiatives, HBO has solidified its identity and appeal through HBO-branded networks, the launch of digital platforms including HBO On Demand and HBO Mobile, the licensing and distribution of HBO programming, and DVD sales via HBO Home Entertainment. Internationally, HBO branded networks, along with the subscription video on demand offerings, bring HBO to over 50 countries and reach over 33 million subscribers. HBO programming is sold into over 150 countries and video products are distributed in over 70 countries worldwide.