or


[11/15/13 - 12:03 PM]
Debmar-Mercury Sells the FremantleMedia North America-Produced "Celebrity Name Game," Hosted by Craig Ferguson, to Tribune Stations Covering 40% of U.S., Including Seven of the Top-10 Markets
WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles and WGN Chicago are among the participating stations for the fall 2014 launch.

[via press release from FremantleMedia North America]

DEBMAR-MERCURY SELLS THE FREMANTLEMEDIA NORTH AMERICA-PRODUCED "CELEBRITY NAME GAME," HOSTED BY CRAIG FERGUSON, TO TRIBUNE STATIONS COVERING 40% OF U.S., INCLUDING SEVEN OF THE TOP-10 MARKETS

U.S. Distributor Debmar-Mercury Provides Firm Fall 2014 Launch for Half-Hour Strip Developed by Courteney Cox & David Arquette's Coquette Productions and Veteran Showrunner Scott St. John

Los Angeles and New York, Nov. 15, 2013 - Debmar-Mercury has sold "Celebrity Name Game," a nationally syndicated pop culture game show hosted by "The Late, Late Show's" Craig Ferguson from co-producers FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, to Tribune Broadcasting stations covering 40% of the U.S., including seven of the top-10 markets.

U.S. distributor Debmar-Mercury has provided a firm fall 2014 launch for the half-hour strip, which will air on Tribune stations including WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles and WGN Chicago.

"Combining Craig Ferguson's sharp wit with 'Celebrity Name Game's' fast-paced format makes this show a great fit to the existing lineup on our broadcast stations," said Sean Compton, President, Programming and Entertainment, Tribune Broadcasting and Larry Wert, President, Broadcast Media. "We look forward to partnering with Debmar-Mercury, FremantleMedia and Coquette Productions on this project as Tribune continues to add inventive first-run programming, specifically in access and early fringe."

Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, Co-Presidents of Lionsgate distributor Debmar-Mercury, added, "This huge commitment to 'Celebrity Name Game' from one of the premier broadcast groups in the country illustrates the tremendous value stations place in acquiring quality, compatible first-run programming that can play alongside off-network sitcoms in early fringe and access time periods. As we've proven with 'Family Feud,' stations are hungry for humor. With an exceptionally funny and popular host like Craig, a strong concept and Fremantle's extraordinary track record of producing hit game shows, that is exactly what we have with this show."

Thom Beers, CEO, FremantleMedia North America, commented, "We're thrilled to see Tribune come in with such a solid commitment to this series, showing how quickly they recognized the true magic of this show and every element within it from the uber-talented Craig Ferguson to the dynamically funny Courtney Cox and David Arquette. Together with Debmar-Mercury, we're excited to bring this entertaining series to audiences across the nation."

Courteney Cox and David Arquette's Coquette Productions ("Cougar Town") teamed with veteran showrunner Scott St. John ("Deal or No Deal"), as well as Laura Robinson and Richard Gerrits of North 44 Productions, to develop the fast-paced game show in which celebrities team with contestants to identify famous names, including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters.

The project marks the second collaboration between FremantleMedia North America ("Family Feud," "The Price is Right," "Let's Make a Deal," "American Idol," "The X Factor," "America's Got Talent") and Debmar-Mercury. "Family Feud", their first venture, has resulted in spectacular ratings success.

"Celebrity Name Game" is co-produced and co-financed by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury, and is distributed domestically by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by FremantleMedia North America. Gerrits and Robinson will serve as producers of the series based on the board game Identity Crisis that they created. Executive Producers are showrunner Scott St. John, Thom Beers, Jennifer Mullin, Courteney Cox and David Arquette.

About FremantleMedia North America:

FremantleMedia North America (FMNA) is the U.S. arm of global media giant FremantleMedia, which includes a distribution arm, FremantleMedia International, a digital and branded entertainment division and a kids & family entertainment business. As the world's largest dependent studio, FremantleMedia's comprehensive global network has operations in 25 countries, creating over 9100 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 400 individual titles. FMNA and its portfolio of companies produce entertaining and innovative scripted and alternative programs for network, cable, syndicated and online platforms. Their slate includes a diverse range of both critically-acclaimed and award-winning successes including "American Idol" (FOX), "The X Factor" (FOX), "America's Got Talent" (NBC), "Family Feud" (SYN), "Let's Make A Deal" (CBS), "The Price Is Right" (CBS), "The Great Christmas Light Fight" (ABC), "The Tomorrow People" (The CW), "Deadliest Catch" (Discovery), "Married to Medicine" (Bravo), "Ice Road Truckers" (HISTORY), "Storage Wars" (A&E) and "The Pet Collective" (blip.tv), among others.

About Debmar-Mercury

Debmar-Mercury, a leading media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes for daytime television The Wendy Williams Show and has U.S. distribution rights to Fremantle Media North America's Family Feud; distributes Tyler Perry sitcoms House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; Lionsgate Television's Anger Management (starring Charlie Sheen and entering off-network syndication in September 2014), Saint George (starring and co-created by George Lopez, debuting in 2014 and in off-network syndication in September 2016) and a new untitled sitcom (starring comedy legends Martin Lawrence and Kelsey Grammer, set to premiere in 2014 and entering broadcast syndication in fall 2017), all for FX; Revolution/CubeVision's Are We There Yet? (starring Ice Cube); and has U.S. TV distribution rights to South Park, Hell's Kitchen and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios. Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company.

About Coquette Productions

Coquette Productions, founded by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, with development executive Thea Mann, is a television and film production company focusing on creating dynamic, original and entertaining content. Under a first-look deal with ABC Studios, Coquette has produced Cougar Town for ABC and TBS; Daisy Does America for TBS; Dirt for F/X and Mix it Up for WE. Additionally, Coquette has sold projects/filmed pilots for UPN, FOX, CBS, HBO, The Travel Channel, NBC, Lifetime, MTV and Comedy Central. Coquette has also produced the feature film Just Before I Go, directed by Courteney Cox.





  [november 2013]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· CELEBRITY NAME GAME (SYNDICATION)





[09/17/26 - 10:20 AM]
Edie Falco to Star in FOX's New Series "Katie Greaves" (wt)
Falco stars as a whip-smart, fiercely committed attorney who stepped away from the New Hampshire Public Defender's office following a devastating personal tragedy.

[09/17/26 - 10:01 AM]
Netflix's "Unaccustomed Earth" First Look & Date Announcement
Inspired by the internationally beloved Jhumpa Lahiri's short story collection of the same name, "Unaccustomed Earth" premieres December 17, only on Netflix.

[09/17/26 - 09:01 AM]
Disney and "Like Nastya," Globally Renowned Kids' Creator, Strike Content and Development Deal
The deal includes development of an original animated preschool series for Disney Jr. and Disney+, along with new live-action content for kids, tweens, teens and families.

[09/17/26 - 09:00 AM]
Additional Performers Revealed for "2026 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs)" Airing Live Sept. 27 on CBS
GENER8ION, Gunna, LISA, RAYE, Shaboozey, SIENNA SPIRO and Yung Lean will join show opener Madonna for performances during this year's event.

[09/17/26 - 09:00 AM]
Production Revs Up on AMC's New NASCAR Drama, "Thunder Road"
Centered on family dynamics, fierce rivalries and the untold stories behind one of America's most iconic sports, "Thunder Road" follows the multigenerational saga of the fictional Whitlock family, whose legacy in stock car racing is as deep as the family's ties to the Southern hill country roots that shaped them.

[09/17/26 - 08:16 AM]
Video: Date Announcement, Trailer & Key Art Debut - "The Kardashians" Season Eight
Season eight premieres October 8 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally.

[09/17/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: HBO Releases Official Trailer for the Original Drama Series "War," Debuting October 1
Created by George Kay, and starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller, the series is co-produced by New Pictures and Observatory Pictures with new episodes of the eight-episode season debuting weekly on Thursdays.

[09/17/26 - 08:01 AM]
Prime Video Casts Siobhan McGroarty, Sophia Reid-Gantzert, West Mulholland, Gigi Zumbado and Curtis Hamilton in "Rose Hill"
Elsie Silver's bestselling romance saga will premiere on Prime Video, produced by Temple Hill.

[09/17/26 - 08:00 AM]
Bill Murray and Friends Hit the Road for a Genre-Bending Golf Adventure in "A Course Called Ireland" Premiering October 25 on Paramount+
In the six-part documentary series, Bill Murray and author Tom Coyne play their way across some of Ireland's most legendary golf courses.

[09/17/26 - 07:31 AM]
Luke Bryan Marks New Album Debut with an Exclusive "Live from Roku City" Concert
The country superstar's "Live from Roku City" performances will launch September 19 on Roku, the day after the release of Bryan's ninth studio album, "Signs."

[09/17/26 - 07:16 AM]
Make Your Hallmark Movie Checklist and Check It Twice Because Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas" Gifts Viewers a Holiday Filled with Everything Nice!
Highlights include 34 original movie premieres and the return of "Mistletoe Murders," now it its third season.

[09/17/26 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Tyson" - Official Trailer - Netflix
The raw four-part documentary peels back the curtain on Mike Tyson's explosive life, from a brutal Brooklyn childhood and a meteoric rise to heavyweight glory to the addiction, jail time, public breakdowns, and infamous ear bite that almost ended it all.

[09/17/26 - 07:01 AM]
Apple TV's BAFTA Award-Nominated Docuseries "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars" Debuts September 25
Across season two, "Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars" follows 16 restaurants at pivotal moments in their journeys.

[09/17/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Lanterns" - Midseason Trailer - HBO Max
The blackest night is yet to come.

[09/17/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Steps" - Official Teaser Trailer - Netflix
A fresh twist on the classic Cinderella story - this time, told from the perspective of Lilith, one of the so-called "evil" stepsisters.