or


[09/07/11 - 07:03 AM]
ION Television Acquires Off-Network Rights to TNT's Top-Rated Series "Leverage"
The series will begin airing on ION Television in summer 2012.

[via press release from ION Television]

ION TELEVISION ACQUIRES OFF-NETWORK RIGHTS TO TNT'S TOP-RATED SERIES "LEVERAGE"

Acquisition Marks ION's First Deal with Successful Independent Producer Dean Devlin and Electric Entertainment

NEW YORK - September 7, 2011 - ION Television continues to expand its programming line-up with high-quality content with the acquisition of the popular TNT drama series, "Leverage" from Electric Entertainment. The announcement was made today by Brandon Burgess, CEO, ION Media Networks. ION Television, a top-10 rated network, has licensed the off-network rights to all seasons of "Leverage." The series will begin airing on ION Television in summer 2012.

"We're pleased to team up with Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment, which has distinguished itself by providing high caliber theatrical production standards for TV audiences," says Burgess. "Collaborating with both Electric and Turner to support the longevity of a popular original drama, such as 'Leverage,' furthers our strategic goal to be a viable partner for cable network productions."

"We are thrilled to join forces with ION Television, one of the largest broadcast television station groups in the country. ION's reach of over 99 million homes in the U.S. will ensure the continuation of the show's legacy," says Electric Entertainment Founder Dean Devlin. "We're looking forward to working with such a pioneering and innovative company."

"Leverage" follows a five-person team: a thief, a grifter, a hacker, a retrieval specialist, and their leader, former insurance investigator Nathan Ford (Academy Award Winner(R) Timothy Hutton), who use their skills to right corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens. "Leverage," recently picked-up for its fifth season, is executive-produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT's The Librarian movie series) and creators John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens). The series is produced for TNT by Devlin's Electric Entertainment. This season, Leverage has averaged more than 4.8 million viewers, up 10% over season three, with 1.9 million adults 18-49 (+6%) and 2.3 million adults 25-54 (+9%).

The "Leverage" deal comes on the heels of ION's recent acquisition of cable's other hit series "Psych," "Monk" and "House," signifying ION as a viable after-market platform for cable net productions. The hit series also joins ION Television's primetime schedule of the popular off-net series "Without a Trace," "Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisperer" and ION's first original police drama "Flashpoint."

Source: Nielsen Media Research; L+SD data; Leverage Season 4 through 5 telecasts SU 9-10P (6/26/11-7/24/11) versus ad-supported cable scripted programs and Season 1-4 (12/7/08-7/24/11).

Source: Top 10 Rank; Nielsen Media Research, Live+SD, 9/27/2010-8/7/2011, M-Sun 7P-12A, A25-54 (000). Excludes kids, news, and sports nets.

ABOUT ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT

Electric Entertainment is a full service film, television, and new media production company and studio headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin along with Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Electric is currently preparing production for the fifth season of TNT's action-packed drama "Leverage."

Electric's other television credits include "The Librarian," starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT network in December 2004 and was the highest rated movie on cable that year, its sequel, "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" and the third installment of the franchise, "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice." Along with Bryan Singer's Bad Hat Harry production company, Electric produced Syfy Channel's "The Triangle," which won an Emmy for its Visual Effects, and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since "Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN" (2002).

Electric's most recent film project was Sony Picture Classics' politically-charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Documentary Feature.

In addition, the company also operates Electric Post, an in-house, state of the art digital effects and post-production facility, which utilizes cutting-edge technology, allowing filmmakers to stretch their dollars way beyond traditional budget boundaries.

ABOUT ION TELEVISION

ION Television is a leading U.S. general entertainment network, combining high-quality programming and dependable broadcast distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth normally associated with a cable channel. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. Since its recent launch in 2008, ION's reach has grown to 99 million households and has become one of the top-15 TV rated U.S. networks in record time. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.





  [september 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· LEVERAGE (TNT)





[03/08/25 - 02:09 PM]
Video: HBO Releases Official Trailer for Season Two of "The Last of Us"
The seven-episode second season debuts Sunday, April 13 at 9:00/8:00c on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.

[03/07/25 - 11:49 PM]
Development Update: Week of March 3-7
Updates include: CBS cancels veterans "FBI: International," "FBI: Most Wanted," and "S.W.A.T."; Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu in talks for HBO's "Harry Potter" series; and Netflix nixes "The Recruit" after two seasons.

[03/07/25 - 04:16 PM]
WWE's "Saturday Night's Main Event" Extravaganza Arrives May 24 Live on NBC and Peacock
Superstar John Cena will make his first "Saturday Night's Main Event" appearance in more than a decade.

[03/07/25 - 10:34 AM]
"Georgie and Mandy's First Marriage" Hits Series High Thursday Night
CBS was the #1 broadcast network last night with 5.63 million viewers, up +6% from last week and +25% more viewers than ABC and NBC combined last night (4.50 million).

[03/07/25 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Nobody Wants This" Season 2 Is Now in Production
Guest stars this season include Leighton Meester, Miles Fowler, Alex Karpovsky and Arian Moayed.

[03/07/25 - 09:49 AM]
AMC Networks' "Future of Film" Initiative Launches Future of Film: Athena Rising Stars Collection on AMC+ in Partnership with Athena Film Festival
Streaming exclusively on AMC+ beginning March 14, the collection is available for one month in celebration of Women's History Month, joining the streamer's Featured Collection: Women Who Dare, which also spotlights women-led stories across series, films and documentaries.

[03/07/25 - 09:06 AM]
Michelle Monaghan and Adam Scott Join Robert De Niro in James Ashcroft's Crime Thriller "The Whisper Man"
The Netflix film is based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North.

[03/07/25 - 09:01 AM]
Season 2 of "With Love, Meghan" Debuting This Fall
Season one debuted on Netflix this week and the second season has already completed filming.

[03/07/25 - 07:03 AM]
"The Summer I Turned Pretty" Returns with Its Final Season This July
Season three will have 11 episodes and premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.

[03/07/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: Apple TV+ Unveils Trailer for the Highly Anticipated Comedy "The Studio"
Starring Rogen and a star-studded ensemble cast with A-list cameos in every episode, the 10-episode comedy will premiere globally on Wednesday, March 26 with the first two episodes, followed by one episode every Wednesday through May 21.

[03/07/25 - 06:38 AM]
ESPN Signs Stephen A. Smith to Multi-Year Contract Renewal
"I'm happy and honored to remain a member of the Disney/ESPN family for, at least, the next five years," Smith said. "There's only bigger and bigger things ahead. It starts with continuing to put in that work. See y'all soon."

[03/07/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: The Reunion" - Season 8 Official Trailer - Netflix
Fan favorites gather for a reunion with Nick and Vanessa to answer burning questions about their relationships this season.

[03/07/25 - 12:01 AM]
Japanese Sci-Fi Animated Series "Moonrise" Premieres April 10
Directed by Masashi Koizuka and produced by WIT Studio, this brand-new sci-fi series features stunning character concepts by manga artist Hiromu Arakawa.

[03/06/25 - 03:01 PM]
Prime Video Announces Global Premiere of Highly Anticipated Anime Series "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX"
The series will stream simultaneously with Japan across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on Tuesday, April 8.

[03/06/25 - 02:59 PM]
Hallmark Media Orders Fourth Season of "The Way Home"
Cast members confirmed the news on social media this afternoon.