Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Clears Volume 41, A 35-Title Theatrical Motion Picture Package, On Stations In 133 Markets, Representing 90% Of The Country
(September 6, 2007 - Burbank, CA) – Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has licensed a 35-title feature film package featuring some of the Studio’s most successful recent theatrical motion pictures to television stations in 133 U.S. markets, representing clearance in 90% of the country, it was announced today by Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, and Rick Meril, Executive Vice President & General Sales Manager, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD).
Volume 41 – the most recent installment of the Studio’s highly successful domestic television distribution package of Warner Bros. films – has been cleared on the Fox-owned Television Stations in 11 markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Washington, D.C., Houston, Phoenix, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Fla., Baltimore and Gainesville, Fla. In addition to the Fox launch group, WBDTD has sold the film package to stations from the following groups: CBS Television Stations, Belo, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Tribune Broadcasting, Gannett, Cox, Hearst-Argyle, Media General, Meredith, Clear Channel, ACME, ComCorp/White Knight, Weigel, Grant, Pappas and Roberts.
“Feature films play a role in the programming mix for local television stations. They provide flexible quality entertainment with high brand awareness that can be counted on to deliver solid ratings year in and year out,” said Meril. “We’re pleased to be able to continue to offer an excellent collection of movies to our station partners and their viewers.”
Titles in Volume 41 include blockbusters “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”; director Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed hit “Batman Begins”; “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which marked visionary filmmaker Tim Burton’s fifth successful screen collaboration with Johnny Depp; “March of the Penguins,” an Academy Award® winner for Best Documentary Feature; “Million Dollar Baby,” winner of four Academy Awards®, including Best Picture as well as Directing for helmer Clint Eastwood; “The Matrix Revolutions,” the thrilling conclusion to the Wachowski brothers’ groundbreaking trilogy; “The Last Samurai,” starring Tom Cruise; “Troy,” starring Brad Pitt; “Ocean’s Twelve,” starring George Clooney, Pitt and Matt Damon; and Clooney’s Oscar®-nominated “Good Night, and Good Luck.,” among two dozen others.
About Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading distributors of first-run and off-network programming in the domestic television marketplace. It handles the syndication of television series produced by Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Horizon Television; selected HBO Independent Productions and the impressive Lorimar Television library; current feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Independent Pictures; and the Studio’s unmatched motion picture library.
For 2007-2008, WBDTD will distribute seven first-run series: Telepictures Productions’ highly anticipated new daily strip “TMZ” (based upon TMZ.com, the #1 entertainment news destination on the Internet), “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “The Tyra Banks Show,” “Extra” and “Judge Mathis,” as well as “The People’s Court” and “Showtime at the Apollo.” Launching in off-network syndication this fall are “Two and a Half Men” – the #1 comedy on network television – and “George Lopez,” as well as the weekend broadcast window of “Cold Case.” Other off-network programs also distributed via WBDTD include “Friends,” “The Drew Carey Show,” “Will & Grace” (from NBC Studios) and HBO’s “Sex and the City,” as well as the weekend broadcast windows of “Without a Trace,” “Smallville,” “ER” and “The West Wing,” among others.
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