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"Sex and the City" Acquired
by Tribune Broadcasting
Six-Day-A-Week
Strip To Debut In Fall 2005
CHICAGO, September 10, 2003
-- Tribune
Broadcasting, a division of Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB), Home
Box Office and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
announced today that Tribune Broadcasting has acquired the
off-net syndication rights to the award-winning HBO series
“Sex and the City.” The series will premiere on
Tribune Broadcasting stations in September 2005 as a six-day-a-week
strip.
“‘Sex and the City’ has been one of the
strongest half-hour comedies on television, and it is easily
the best new comedy coming into the syndication marketplace”
said Pat Mullen, President of Tribune Broadcasting. “Our
strategy is to acquire the best sitcoms for our local stations
and we have a long and successful track record including “Friends,’
‘Will and Grace,’ and ‘Everybody Loves Raymond.’
‘Sex and the City’ makes the daily access and
late fringe programming at our 26 television stations across
the country even stronger.” Mullen added, “It
is also the perfect show for the younger demographic served
by our WB affiliates and coveted by advertisers.”
“‘Sex
and the City’ offers broadcasters a unique opportunity
to program an Emmy Award winning, young adult comedy, that
will be new to a majority of their viewers,” said Scott
Carlin, president, Domestic Television Distribution, HBO.
“We are delighted that Tribune Broadcasting recognizes
the value this show offers their stations and advertisers.”
“’Sex
and the City’ is the quintessential appointment viewing
television series, drawing an incredible audience comp of
upscale, young viewers who, up until now, have not been available
to advertisers,” said Dick Robertson, President, Warner
Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. “While only
available in a third of U.S. homes, the series oftentimes
out rates the six broadcast networks on Sunday nights and
has an unbelievable repeat retention, which will prove invaluable
for a successful off-network run.”
A candid,
comic view of sex and relationships, “Sex and the City”
stars Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, a New York-based
writer who explores and experiences the unique world of Manhattan’s
dating scene, chronicling the mating habits of single New
Yorkers. The series also stars cast regulars Kim Cattrall
as PR executive Samantha Jones, who’s seen -- and done
-- it all; Kristin Davis as Charlotte York, still trying to
hold on to the idea of happily ever after; and Cynthia Nixon
as corporate lawyer and new mother Miranda Hobbes, a pragmatist
trying to balance the idea of love with the realities of life.
Winner
of the Primetime Emmy® for Outstanding Comedy Series --
the first cable program to take top honors in the comedy series
category - “Sex and the City” also received Golden
Globe Awards for Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy,
and Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series,
for Sarah Jessica Parker, taking both honors three years in
a row, as well as Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting
Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television,
for Kim Cattrall. The show also received two Screen Actors
Guild awards: Parker, for Outstanding Performance by an Actress
in a Comedy Series, and all four stars, for Outstanding Performance
by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
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Tribune Broadcasting owns and operates
26 television stations concentrated in major markets and Superstation
WGN on national cable. The group’s combined reach is
more than 80 percent of U.S. television households. Investment
interests include The WB Television Network (22%), TV Food
Network (31%) and The Golf Channel (9%). Los Angeles-based
Tribune Entertainment develops and distributes first-run television
programming for the Tribune station group and for national
syndication. Tribune Broadcasting also owns and operates Chicago’s
WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
Home Box Office, Inc., is the premium
television programming subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc.,
providing two 24-hour premium television services, HBO and
Cinemax. Together, both networks reach approximately 39 million
subscribers in the United States via cable and satellite delivery.
Home Box Office's international joint ventures bring HBO branded
services to more than 50 countries around the globe.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television
Distribution is one of the leading distributors of first-run
and off-network programming in the domestic television marketplace.
For 2003-04, WBDTD will distribute nine first-run series:
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Sharon Osbourne
Show," "Celebrity Justice," "elimiDate,"
"Street Smarts," "Judge Mathis," "Extra,"
"The People's Court" and "Showtime at the Apollo."
The extensive list of off-network programs currently in syndication
via WBDTD includes "Friends," "ER" (weekend
broadcast window), "The Drew Carey Show," "Family
Matters," "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Full
House," "Will & Grace" (from NBC Studios)
and "The West Wing" (weekend broadcast window).
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