ION Television

World Screen Weekly, April 19, 2007

COUNTRY: U.S.

LAUNCH DATE: August 31, 1998 as PAX; relaunched as ION Television on January 29, 2007.

OWNERSHIP: ION Media Networks, Inc.

DISTRIBUTION: More than 93 million U.S. households via ION Media Networks’ broadcast TV station group, plus cable and satellite distribution systems.

DESCRIPTION: The channel features a mix of classic TV series, theatrical films and made-for-TV movies targeting a broad multi-generational audience.

PRESIDENT & CEO: Brandon Burgess

PRESIDENT OF SALES & MARKETING: Stephen P. Appel

SENIOR VP, PROGRAMMING & STRATEGIC PLANNING: Stacey Nagel Galper

PROGRAMMING STRATEGY: With the recent rebranding to ION Television, the network aims to maintain its loyal base of viewers while appealing to new audiences. The channel’s core audience in prime time is still primarily women and adults aged 25 to 54. However, ION is currently focused on broadening its content and demographic positioning, especially through additional programming for its late-night lineup. ION Television recently partnered with Bodog Entertainment for the broadcast of mixed martial arts programming as part of its late-night schedule. “The late-night audience is significantly different than the core viewers we have in prime time and it’s a matter of having programming that is going to be geared to viewers that are available at those times,” says Stacey Nagel Galper, the senior VP of programming and strategic planning at ION Television. “Bodog and the mixed martial arts programming is really at the beginning of its long-term success as a genre.”

While ION Television’s daytime schedule has consisted mostly of paid programming, the channel expanded its slate in September 2006 to include a three-hour children’s block, qubo, on Friday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The shows currently airing on ION Television’s qubo block include Babar, Veggie Tales and Jacob Two-Two.

ION Television’s weeknight prime-time line-up is dedicated to entertainment programming featuring timeless, familiar shows with proven audience appeal. Weeknights are currently populated with hit TV programs provided by the Hollywood studios. “The prime-time strategy is still going to be more general entertainment, primarily off-network programming, in the near term,” says Galper.

The network’s strongest show is Mama’s Family, which originally debuted in 1983 as a spin-off of the popular skit “The Family” from The Carol Burnett Show, and currently airs on the network Monday through Friday in prime time. The prime-time mystery series Diagnosis Murder, which features an offbeat physician who also assists his police investigator son on the side, is also doing well for ION. Additionally, the channel added kung fu programming to its schedule on the weekends, which has also been well received.

WHAT’S NEW: According to Galper, much of the channel’s original programming will come through partnerships. In addition to its alliance with Bodog, ION has also partnered with RHI Entertainment—which owns over 4,000 hours of award-winning content—to program its Friday, Saturday and Sunday night prime-time schedules with TV movies and mini-series, beginning this June. “As the exclusive content provider for our weekend prime-time block, RHI will produce at least 12 original hours of programming for the network this year,” Galper says. The deal also includes RHI’s library product in addition to original content.

The channel also recently relaunched its website, and is looking to acquire more original content for online distribution.

WEBSITE: www.ionline.tv

— By Irene Lew