New U.S. Broadcast Nets Strike Deal for Films from Warner Bros.

ATLANTA: The new demo-specific over-the-air U.S. broadcast networks Escape and Grit have acquired the TV rights to a package of 135 motion pictures in a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD).

The female-skewed Escape channel is anchored in stories of crime and mystery. Warner Bros. movies set for the network include Body Heat, starring Kathleen Turner; Disclosure, featuring Demi Moore; the Nicole Kidman thrillers Dead Calm and Malice; and John Grisham's Presumed Innocent.

The action-oriented Grit channel, targeted at men 25 to 54, is built around male hero archetypes with a focus on western, war and action theatrical motion pictures. Among the Warner Bros. titles headed to the network are the Clint Eastwood-starring Sudden Impact, Kelly's Heroes and Bronco Billy; Eraser, with Arnold Schwarzenegger; Cobra, Demolition Man and Victory, all led by Sylvester Stallone; and Rumble in the Bronx with Jackie Chan. Grit also scored such westerns as the John Wayne classics Cahill, U.S. Marshall and The Cowboys, as well as The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford. Military movies coming from the WBDTD deal include Full Metal Jacket, Memphis Belle and Purple Hearts.

Univision Television Group, which owns and/or operates stations in major U.S. markets, will carry both Escape and Grit; further distribution is to be announced shortly. The networks are part of Katz Broadcasting, which was established by Jonathan Katz, a former Turner Broadcasting exec and the founder of Bounce TV.