ION Media Networks Announces Programming Agreement for Extensive Line-up of Theatricals and Television Series from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution

“Superman III” To Kick Off Schedule Saturday, July 1st

(West Palm Beach, FL – June 27, 2006) – ION Media Networks, Inc. (AMEX: ION) and Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution announced today a comprehensive programming deal, providing ION with the rights to broadcast popular movies and classic television series from Warner Bros.’ extensive library on its flagship i television network, reaching over 90 million homes.

“We are very pleased about this important programming alliance,” said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. “Given its depth as a content supplier, Warner Bros. is a natural fit for our network, as our current viewers look to us for classic, family-oriented TV fare. We hope to expand this relationship over time, tapping into Warner Bros.’ diverse library to broaden our network’s content appeal and demographic positioning.”

Under the deal, ION has acquired the broadcast rights to a number of Warner Bros.’ most popular television series and movies. Series include classic shows such as “Welcome Back, Kotter,” “Chico and the Man,” “Scarecrow & Mrs. King,” “Mama’s Family,” “Alice” and “Wonder Woman,” and more recent hits including “The Wonder Years,” “Growing Pains,” “Perfect Strangers” and “The Wayans Bros,” among others.

The vast selection of movie titles available to ION includes Academy Award winners for Best Picture “Amadeus” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and other hits, such as ”All the President’s Men,” "Police Academy 2", "Giant," "Oh God," "Rio Bravo," “Dead Ringers,” “Dog Day Afternoon,” “Rebel Without a Cause,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Superman,” “Network,” “Shaft,” “Victor/Victoria,” “Empire of the Sun” and “Beetlejuice.”

The stable of talent represented in the deal is truly stellar, and includes Johnny Depp, Robin Williams, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Nicole Kidman, Al Pacino, James Dean, Paul Newman, John Wayne, Harrison Ford, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Mel Gibson, Dustin Hoffman, Denzel Washington, Elijah Wood, Whoopi Goldberg, Charlton Heston, Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and of course, Bugs Bunny. Directors include master filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock, Oliver Stone, Sergio Leone, Blake Edwards, Steven Spielberg, Tim Burton and George Lucas.

“We're delighted to be in business with the new i network and are confident that they will reap the proven audience-building benefits of popular features and TV series to drive ratings, attract sponsors and build the network's brand," said Eric Frankel, President of Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. “With our robust library of titles and ION’s large network of TV stations, this is clearly a win-win situation for everyone involved.”

Targeting its portfolio of content toward the i network’s current family-oriented television audiences, ION will kick off its Warner Bros. movie schedule with “Superman III” on Saturday, July 1st, coinciding with the weekend’s motion picture release of “Superman Returns.”

ION will begin scheduling the Warner Bros. television product in August on i.

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Stay tuned for further details, such as launch date and timeslots.

:clap: :clap: :clap: Yiiiiipppppppeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

This is great! And “Welcome Back, Kotter" coming on there too. Sad thing is we don't get Pax. In order to get Pax we'd have to get a more expensive package.. Too bad it starts in Aug as that's when we go to Mikes sisters & may not get a chance to watch...

That's great! If the American life continues to air Chico and the Man too during the time the other network will be running it. I think as most of us who will be able to have both networks will be in CATM Heaven. Yippppeeee!

Oh, this is awesome! I've never seen more than a few episodes of Chico... I'm excited for this!

Yay.... :clap: I can't wait. Thanks Pav.

I'm doing a serious happy dance right now. :happyface

This is great news. Maybe if the show has good viewer ratings they will release the 3 seasons on DVD. I think there is a market for them. I wish I knew what the sales figures were for the CATM DVD that's already been released.:D

This is great news. I think we do get PAX, I haven't really checked. I have been enjoying the uncut episodes the AOL HiQ has been letting us download from the internet, but it is a shame that they take ones off of that to put more on and there is no way to save them. They are great quality. I don't have the GoodLife network, so maybe now I can see the shows on PAX. BTW does anyone know if they are uncut like GoodLife was doing?????

i don't get either of those two channels.....thank goodness i taped them on tvland
Lucky can you download CATM from the internet?
i'd love that on my ipod!!! how do i do that?

I also found out some more happy news:

http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/showthread.php?t=176895

ION MEDIA NETWORKS AND SONY PICTURES TELEVISION ANNOUNCE PROGRAMMING AGREEMENT FOR TV SERIES AND FEATURE FILMS


(West Palm Beach, FL and Culver City, CA – July 5, 2006) – ION Media Networks, Inc. (AMEX: ION) and Sony Pictures Television (“SPT”) today announced a programming agreement that provides ION with the rights to broadcast dozens of classic television series and a large selection of award-winning feature films from the Sony library on the i television network, reaching over 90 million homes.

“This agreement reflects our strategy of strengthening our i network’s programming schedule with popular series and theatrical hits with proven audience appeal,” said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. “We look forward to working with Sony on developing a compelling entertainment line-up that continues to appeal to our current audience, while attracting new viewers to the network.”

“The i network and its stations will benefit from a wide variety of titles from our extensive library of television series and feature films, which have proven to deliver audiences,” said John Weiser, president, distribution for Sony Pictures Television. “We are pleased to be in partnership with ION, helping them grow and making them a destination for great programming.”

Under the terms of the agreement, ION will have access to many of SPT’s most popular TV series from the last three decades, including “Charlie’s Angels,” “Starsky & Hutch,” “The Partridge Family,” “The Monkees” and “Silver Spoons,” among others.

In addition, titles from Sony’s extensive library of theatrical films will be available to ION, including “A River Runs Through It,” “Oliver!,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” “Short Circuit” and many more.

“We are pleased to have access to Sony’s diverse collection of movies and classic TV shows” said Stacey Nagel Galper, ION’s Senior Vice President of Programming and Strategic Planning. “We will begin scheduling the Sony movies on the i network this month, with plans to launch the television series in August.”
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Oh boy Starsky & Hutch may come on Pax & the Monkees too & they are also supposed to start showing Chico & the Man (with our Freddie) & Welcome Back Kotter (With Hot John Travolta). oh boy all my tv shows are gonna be on tv & Season 4 of Starsky & Hutch will be out. I am so freaking happy I can hardly spell on here. LOL. In Oct we go to the reunion in KY & then in Nov is 2 days of seeing Arlo in Alexandria, VA & Season 4 in addition to all that. Wooo....

Now when Pax starts showing my shows I need to get Mike to upgrade our Dish Network Satellite programming to the highest level so we can get Pax. We'll have to eat bread & water for awhile to afford but it ewill be so worth it lol. Just donate to the Help Cheryl Pay For Pax fund lol.

Lucky can you download CATM from the internet?
i'd love that on my ipod!!! how do i do that?

The way AOL set up the HiQ site you cannot permanently download any of the shows. The way it works is you subscribe to a show or select an episode to a show and then AOL asks you to download their media player. These shows only play on their media player and it is only good for their shows. Well after you have their player, you can download their shows to a library under your acct name (you have to register for that too). These shows stay in your library. When you want to view them, you have to be connected to the internet. You click to your library and click on the show you want to view. The library then connects to the HiQ site and plays it for you. The only thing saved on your library are the connections, not the actual shows. Their player has NO function to record shows to anywhere and you cannot open them in any other media player. The worst part about this is, when they take an episode off of their current list of episodes on the site, then try as you may, when you click on that episode in your library, it won't connect, because it is no longer available.
When you download a episode, it takes time....especially if you are on a 56K modem like I am. I have only downloaded them to my laptop because I can take it into school and connect to cable there.. So I download them in school and then watch at home. Since they are predownloaded into your library, when you connect to the site to view them, it doesn't matter what connection speed you have, it plays with no interuptions or jumps. So I can watch at home on the modem and it plays like cable since it is predownloaded. I am not sure how they do this, quite frankly. The technology they are using is over my head. And even tho their system is designed so subscribers cannot permanently download their shows, I am sure some hacker type has figured out a way around it. All I know is I am NOT that tech savy and in all honesty, I am not sure I want to be. Those guys cause more harm than good IMHO. My only prayer is that if enough people subscribe and download episodes of CATM from AOL/HiQ, then maybe Time Warner will realize it needs to release more on DVD. I will say the digital quality of the internet episodes is outstanding and I am savoring all those little scenes that TVLand cut out. I only wish I could save them.....:(

BTW I am NOT a subscriber to AOL, you don't have to be to subscribe to this service. It is set up like AIM, anyone can subscribe for free.

There are other classic shows on there too.... Hanging with Mr. Cooper and Welcome Back Kotter are the other two that come to mind.... I don't know the rest, but they have shows in other genres too.

I hope that answers your question.:D

Great news! I haven't seen this since it was on TV Land. I hope they air it next month.

i wish we could get that channel did anyoine see the i love the 70's show that lucky mentioned did they air it again?

Has anybody heard when the i Network will begin to air Chico and the Man? I have been to there website and don't see anything about it listed or going to be listed. Does anyone know when of if Chico and the Man will be airing on that channel?

I got the impression from what I read that the stuff like CATM might be added this fall & it might be awhile. Hopefully they'll announce it here on the Sitcoms Online site...

please keep us posted