ION Television Picks Up Warner Bros. Films

WEST PALM BEACH, September
22: ION Television has inked a multi-year acquisition deal with Warner Bros.
Domestic Television Distribution, bringing 27 films to the network’s slate
starting this fall and going through summer 2010.

ION Television kicks off
the first of its Warner Bros. films on September 24 at 8 p.m. with the comedy Grumpier
Old Men, starring Jack Lemmon,
Walter Matthau, Ann-Margret and Sophia Loren. Dramatic thrillers and crime
sagas include The Fugitive, GoodFellas, Heat, Deep Blue
Sea and Training Day.

Also in the mix are two
movies from the famed Batman series, Batman Forever and Batman Returns, in addition to Lethal Weapon 1, 2
and 4. Modern comedies include
The Mask, Analyze This and National Lampoon’s European Vacation, among others. Dramas such as City of Angels and romantic comedies like You've Got Mail round out the acquisitions.

“Our deal with Warner
Bros. is part of our newly re-branded commitment to provide entertaining
popular content with mass appeal to broad audiences,” said Brandon Burgess, the
chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. “As we broaden our content footprint,
we are also putting in place a programming organization that will manage our
creative expansion.”

Ken Werner, the president
of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, said: “Theatrical motion
pictures are consistent ratings performers and play an important part in a
network’s programming mix, so we’re excited to continue our relationship with
ION to include this new slate of hit movies from the Warner Bros. collection.”

—By Jackie Stewart