Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Has Now Sold “The New Adventures Of Old Christine” And HBO’s “Entourage” And “Curb Your Enthusiasm” To Stations Representing More Than 93% Of The Country
(July 29, 2009 – Burbank, CA) – Continuing its rapid sales pace, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) has now locked up three-year deals with broadcast television stations representing more than 93% of the country for the fall 2010 off-network launches of Warner Bros. Television’s critically acclaimed sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” starring Emmy® Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as well as HBO’s award-winning and acclaimed comedy series “Entourage” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The announcement was made today by WBDTD President Ken Werner.
Stations from the following broadcast groups have just signed on for the syndicated launch of all three series: Newport Television, Freedom Broadcasting, LIN TV, Belo, New Age, Nexstar Broadcasting, Griffin Communications, Journal Broadcast Group, New Vision Television, Schurz Communications, GoCom, Second Generation, Block Communications, Gray Television, Entravision, Quincy, Barrington Broadcasting, Smith Broadcasting, ComCorp, White Knight Broadcasting and Cordillera Broadcasting.
Ken Werner said, “The fact that these three shows have been bought in over 93% of the country in seven short weeks speaks to the high value stations have placed on these premium series.”
These sales follow a previous announcement that “The New Adventures of Old Christine” had been sold to Tribune Broadcasting’s owned-and-operated stations in New York (WPIX-TV) and Los Angeles (KTLA-TV), as well as Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU-TV in Chicago. The cable syndication rights to “Christine” were previously sold by WBDTD to Lifetime Television, also for a fall 2010 launch. “Entourage” and “Curb” had previously been cleared on the Tribune-owned stations in 17 markets, including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. And “Entourage” was previously sold by HBO to Spike TV for a January 2010 basic cable debut.
All three series were also previously cleared on stations from the following groups: CBS Television Stations, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Fox Television Stations, Local TV, Hearst, Raycom Media, Meredith, ACME Television, Titan, Roberts Broadcasting, Gannett, Capitol Broadcasting, Grant and Cox Television. Stations will air “Christine” as a daily strip, with two runs airing Monday–Friday, as well as two half-hour weekend telecasts.
Created by Kari Lizer, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” stars Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a divorced single mother juggling the daily stresses of motherhood and her business. She won an Emmy Award® as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the show’s first season, and has been nominated in the category every season the show has been on the air. For her efforts, Louis-Dreyfus has been named one of the 10 funniest actresses on television by Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide raved that “Julia Louis-Dreyfus is doing career-best work as the titular single mom.” Called “one of TV’s best sitcoms” by USA Today, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” will return for its fifth network season this fall on CBS.
Moving to its current Wednesday, 8–8:30 p.m. (ET/PT), time period for the 2008–2009 season, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” proved to be a game-changer for CBS in the half-hour against the stiff competition of “American Idol” and “Bones.” “Christine” improved the network’s time period rating from 2007–08 by +10% among Households, +15% among Women 25–54, +17% among Men 25–54 and +13% among Adults 25–54. (Source: NTI Galaxy Explorer. CBS L+SD US AA%. Wednesday 8–8:30 p.m. 09/24/07–05/25/08, 09/24/08–05/20/09, regularly scheduled programs only; 07-08 TP: Big Brother, Kid Nation, Power of 10, Price Is Right Prime)
In addition to Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine” stars Clark Gregg, Hamish Linklater, Trevor Gagnon, Emily Rutherfurd, Tricia O’Kelley, Alex Kapp Horner and Wanda Sykes. Kari Lizer and Andy Ackerman are the executive producers of the series, from Kari’s Logo Here in association with Warner Bros. Television.
“Entourage” was created by Doug Ellin and has been executive produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Doug Ellin, Rob Weiss, Denis Biggs and Larry Charles. The series has won multiple Emmy® Awards as well as a Golden Globe® and Peabody Award. Drawing on the experiences of entertainment industry insiders, the series stars Adrian Grenier as Vince, who is enjoying life in the limelight as a hot young actor; Kevin Connolly as Eric, Vince’s manager, who tries to help him make the right choices; Kevin Dillon as Vince’s half-brother Drama, whose own career has been eclipsed by Vince’s success; Jerry Ferrara as Turtle, the least savvy of the group; and Jeremy Piven as Ari Gold, who serves as Vince’s aggressive, high-powered agent. Additional series regulars include Perrey Reeves as the long-suffering Mrs. Ari and Rex Lee as Ari’s assistant, Lloyd. Recurring guest stars include Debi Mazar as Vince’s publicist, Shauna; Carla Gugino as Ari’s nemesis, Amanda; Emmanuelle Chriqui as Sloan, Eric’s girlfriend; and Beverly D’Angelo as Ari’s partner Babs. “Entourage” also features a number of high-profile guest stars each season, appearing as themselves or in character roles.
Emmy®-winning writer/producer/comedian Larry David created and stars in the Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning comedy series “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Each episode of the signature program features verité-style footage of David (playing himself) at home, at work and around Los Angeles, as he gets into predicaments with fictional and real-life personalities. The series also stars Jeff Garlin as Larry’s manager, Jeff Greene; Cheryl Hines as Larry’s wife, Cheryl; and Susie Essman as Jeff’s wife, Susie. Each season boasts appearances by a number of notable guest stars playing themselves or character roles. The series has been executive produced by Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Gavin Polone, Robert B. Weide, Larry Charles, Alec Berg, David Mandel, Jeff Schaffer, and Tim Gibbons.
About Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading suppliers of entertainment programming to the domestic television marketplace, distributing first-run syndicated series, off-network television programs and theatrical motion pictures to local broadcast television stations, as well as to pay, cable, satellite and broadcast networks throughout the U.S. WBDTD handles the domestic distribution of television series produced by Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Horizon Television; selected HBO Independent Productions and the Lorimar Television library; current feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures; and the Studio’s unmatched motion picture library. # # #