or


[09/12/06 - 12:00 AM]
ABC & Warner BroS. Television Reach Agreement Regarding Digital Distribution Rights for "The Nine"

[via press release from ABC]

ABC & WARNER BROS. TELEVISION REACH AGREEMENT REGARDING DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR �THE NINE�

Disney-ABC Television Group's ABC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television announced today that they have reached an agreement regarding the digital distribution of the highly-anticipated new drama, �The Nine.�

Under the terms of the experimental deal, which was brokered by Disney-ABC Television Group's Mark Pedowitz and Jana Winograde and by Warner Bros. Television Group's Craig Hunegs and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution�s Simon Kenny, ABC has the ability to distribute �The Nine� as a non-permanent offering, which includes streaming episodes online and retaining the advertising revenue generated on the ABC.com broadband player. Warner Bros. Television Group will offer permanent, commercial-free digital downloads of series episodes the day after network broadcasts.

�This announcement underscores our desire to find new and inventive ways to create an ABC-branded experience for viewers that goes beyond their television sets,� said Albert Cheng, executive vice president, Digital Media, Disney-ABC Television Group. �The efforts of Mark Pedowitz and Jana Winograde, on behalf of ABC, and our partners in television and digital distribution at Warner Bros. have resulted in an agreement that should provide invaluable insight as we move forward building our digital business.�

�This is a great example of network and studio partners working together to extend and expand the network television business,� said Craig Hunegs, EVP, Business Management Warner Bros. Television Group. �We are pleased to align with ABC to give viewers convenient on-demand access to our terrific new drama.�

Following its October 4 premiere on ABC, episodes of �The Nine� will be available on ABC.com's ad-supported broadband player for approximately four weeks.

Consumers can purchase episodes the day after broadcast on a variety of digital download platforms.

�We�re thrilled to be able to offer this first-rate product in such a timely fashion to our existing EST partners, such as iTunes, Amazon and AOL, and we look forward to expanding distribution beyond to a number of additional online retailers in our continuing effort to make our programming available to consumers where they want it, when they want it and how they want it,� added Simon Kenny, President, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

ABC and Warner Bros. have a history of working together to break new distribution ground. In 2001, the two companies forged a precedent-setting repurposing agreement which allowed ABC Entertainment the ability to immediately rebroadcast episodes of the Warner Bros Television-produced series �The Court� on its cable networks.

This announcement is part of the Disney-ABC Television Group�s overall Digital Media multiplatform business initiative and demonstrates the Group�s ongoing commitment to launching new digital products and working with strategic partners in the digital media space to make its high-quality, informative and entertaining content available to consumers whenever and wherever they choose.

�The Nine� is a complex character drama series that will unravel the mystery of what transpired during a 52-hour hostage situation in chronological flashbacks that open each episode. But the heart of the series is how that harrowing experience impacted the key characters in their present day lives as they continue to intertwine, deepen and complicate the connections to one another. Revolving through police, legal and medical worlds, the series is one of hope and rebirth, as the characters continue to reinvent themselves in a positive way or are haunted by fateful decisions from which they struggle to recover.

The series stars Lourdes Benedicto (�24�), John Billingsley (�Star Trek: Enterprise�), Jessica Collins (�Ghost Whisperer�), Tim Daly (�Wings�), Dana Davis (�Veronica Mars�), Camille Guaty (�Prison Break�), Chi McBride (�Boston Public�), Kim Raver (�24�), Scott Wolf (�Party of Five�) and Owain Yeoman (�Troy�).

�The Nine� was created by the brother-and-sister writing team of Hank Steinberg (�Without a Trace,� �61*�) and K.J. Steinberg (�Beautiful People,� �Judging Amy�).

Hank Steinberg and Alex Graves (�The West Wing�), who directed the pilot, are executive producers and K.J. Steinberg is co-executive producer/writer. �The Nine� is from Sunset Road Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Disney-ABC Television Group is home to all of The Walt Disney Company�s worldwide entertainment and news television properties. The Group includes the ABC Television Network, Disney Channel�s worldwide portfolio of kids� channels, ABC Family and SOAPnet; as well as television production and syndication divisions Touchstone Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, Buena Vista Worldwide Television and Walt Disney Television International. Disney-ABC Television Group also manages the Radio Disney Network in addition to the Company�s equity interest in Lifetime Entertainment Services, A&E Television Networks and E! Networks.

Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) is one of the entertainment industry�s most respected providers of original content, producing award-winning drama and comedy series, made-for-television movies and miniseries for both network and cable television. With 27 series set to air during the 2006-2007 season, WBTV is the industry�s number one supplier of primetime television programming, with multiple shows on each of the five broadcast networks, as well as numerous cable networks.





  [september 2006]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· 24 (FOX)
· 61* (HBO)
· BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (ABC FAMILY)
· BOSTON PUBLIC (FOX)
· COURT, THE (ABC)
· GHOST WHISPERER (CBS)
· JUDGING AMY (CBS)
· NINE, THE (ABC)
· PARTY OF FIVE (FOX)
· PRISON BREAK (FOX)
· STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE (UPN)
· VERONICA MARS (HULU)
· WEST WING, THE (NBC)
· WITHOUT A TRACE (CBS)





[03/13/26 - 02:41 PM]
HBO Original Series "Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" Debuts June 26
President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion. ...But then Larry David called.

[03/13/26 - 01:45 PM]
ABC News Is #1 in Total Viewers in Late Night, Friday Night and Sunday Morning
"20/20" saw week-to-week gains in Adults 25-54 and Adults 18-49.

[03/13/26 - 11:00 AM]
Production Begins on the Final Season of "Mayor of Kingstown" for Paramount+
David Morse will join season five as a series regular playing Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.

[03/13/26 - 10:37 AM]
Bravo's "Married to Medicine" Two-Part Reunion Begins Sunday, March 22 at 9 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen sits down with Dr. Jackie Walters, Dr. Simone Whitmore, Dr. Contessa Metcalfe, Toya Bush Harris, Quad Webb, Dr. Mimi Sanders as well as friends Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Angel Love Davis and Brandi Milton to unpack the season's biggest moments filled with emotional revelations and shocking confrontations.

[03/13/26 - 09:36 AM]
Peacock Renews "Love Island USA" for Season Eight and Announces Premiere Dates for Upcoming Slate
"Love Island USA" returns Tuesday, June 2; while "Love Island: Beyond the Villa" is back Wednesday, April 15.

[03/13/26 - 09:02 AM]
Video: Key Art & Trailer Debut - Hulu's "Love Overboard"
The series premieres Thursday, March 26 with all nine episodes on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[03/13/26 - 09:01 AM]
History's "The Food That Built America" Returns for Season 7 on April 19
The series explores the origin stories of America's most inspiring - and sometimes ruthless - food pioneers, visionaries, and entrepreneurs who revolutionized the culinary landscape, and created groundbreaking products that became the biggest household names in history.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A bride has a feeling that something horrifying will happen at her wedding - and the closer to the altar she gets, the worse it becomes.

[03/13/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: Hot Out the Oven - Hulu's "Pizza Movie" Trailer & Key Art
A shy college student and his reckless roommate set out on a simple mission to grab pizza, but after a strange dose of a mind-bending experimental drug, they're thrust into a chaotic night of absurd encounters, wild hallucinations, and unexpected revelations that could change their lives forever.

[03/13/26 - 07:13 AM]
FOX Sports, Imagine Documentaries & Delirio Films Announce "Summer of '94" Premiering May 23 on FOX
The film highlights the wild journey of the 1994 USMNT, a unique group of players led by an unlikely coach who endured a grueling two-year training camp, with no professional league and no roadmap, hoping simply not to embarrass their nation at the first-ever modern World Cup hosted on American soil.

[03/13/26 - 05:01 AM]
Video: "Temptation Island" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
Four couples at a crossroads test their bond by splitting up and sharing a villa with alluring singles looking for love in this steamy reality series.

[03/12/26 - 09:01 PM]
"The Vampire Lestat" Set to Debut Sunday, June 7 on AMC and AMC+
Plus: Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid) is back pleasing fledglings and fans worldwide with the debut of "All Fall Down," the second official rock single from the series.

[03/12/26 - 03:18 PM]
FOX Sports Scores All-Time High Team USA World Baseball Classic Viewership
3,171,000 viewers on average watched the four Team USA World Baseball Classic Pool play games across FOX, FS1 and FOX Deportes.

[03/12/26 - 03:01 PM]
CBS Midseason Premiere Week Tops Broadcast and Streaming Rankings in Live + 7-Day Multiplatform Viewership
The network scored three of the top four and 12 of the top 20 most-watched series among all broadcast and streaming competition.

[03/12/26 - 01:02 PM]
Video: Paramount+ Releases Official Trailer for Season Eight of "FBI True"
All 10 episodes of the new season will be available to stream at launch on on Tuesday, March 31.