Turner Scores Star Wars Movie Franchise

ATLANTA: Turner has entered into multiyear licensing agreements for the Star Wars movie collection through domestic deals with The Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox.

The massive deal grants TNT and TBS the exclusive linear basic cable and companion ad-supported on-demand rights to Star Wars. The agreement with Disney for ten films includes the network premiere windows to last year’s record-breaking Star Wars: The Force Awakens and this year’s highly anticipated Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which opens in theaters on December 16. The Disney agreement also includes five of the six original classic Star Wars films, as well as the network television premieres of the next three yet-to-be-released movies.

The installment that launched the franchise, Star Wars: A New Hope, comes to Turner through a separate arrangement with 20th Century Fox. Overall, the two agreements make Turner the only company with basic cable rights to all 11 titles in the collection.

The Star Wars movies will come to Turner beginning September 20, when TNT kicks off six consecutive nights of the original classic films. The movies will also air in December, in conjunction with Disney’s theatrical release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. TNT is set to premiere last year’s blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens in early 2018, followed in 2019 by this year’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

“The Star Wars movies and characters are beloved across generations, captivating audiences and breaking box office records around the globe for nearly four decades,” said Deborah K. Bradley, the executive VP of networks optimization, content strategy and commercialization for Turner. “Through this deal, TNT and TBS will be the exclusive basic cable home of one of the most iconic, enduring and valuable movie franchises of all time, giving viewers the chance to watch this amazing collection from the very beginning.”