or


[09/07/11 - 07:03 AM]
ION Television Acquires Off-Network Rights to TNT's Top-Rated Series "Leverage"
The series will begin airing on ION Television in summer 2012.

[via press release from ION Television]

ION TELEVISION ACQUIRES OFF-NETWORK RIGHTS TO TNT'S TOP-RATED SERIES "LEVERAGE"

Acquisition Marks ION's First Deal with Successful Independent Producer Dean Devlin and Electric Entertainment

NEW YORK - September 7, 2011 - ION Television continues to expand its programming line-up with high-quality content with the acquisition of the popular TNT drama series, "Leverage" from Electric Entertainment. The announcement was made today by Brandon Burgess, CEO, ION Media Networks. ION Television, a top-10 rated network, has licensed the off-network rights to all seasons of "Leverage." The series will begin airing on ION Television in summer 2012.

"We're pleased to team up with Dean Devlin's Electric Entertainment, which has distinguished itself by providing high caliber theatrical production standards for TV audiences," says Burgess. "Collaborating with both Electric and Turner to support the longevity of a popular original drama, such as 'Leverage,' furthers our strategic goal to be a viable partner for cable network productions."

"We are thrilled to join forces with ION Television, one of the largest broadcast television station groups in the country. ION's reach of over 99 million homes in the U.S. will ensure the continuation of the show's legacy," says Electric Entertainment Founder Dean Devlin. "We're looking forward to working with such a pioneering and innovative company."

"Leverage" follows a five-person team: a thief, a grifter, a hacker, a retrieval specialist, and their leader, former insurance investigator Nathan Ford (Academy Award Winner(R) Timothy Hutton), who use their skills to right corporate and governmental injustices inflicted on ordinary citizens. "Leverage," recently picked-up for its fifth season, is executive-produced by Dean Devlin (Independence Day, TNT's The Librarian movie series) and creators John Rogers (Transformers) and Chris Downey (The King of Queens). The series is produced for TNT by Devlin's Electric Entertainment. This season, Leverage has averaged more than 4.8 million viewers, up 10% over season three, with 1.9 million adults 18-49 (+6%) and 2.3 million adults 25-54 (+9%).

The "Leverage" deal comes on the heels of ION's recent acquisition of cable's other hit series "Psych," "Monk" and "House," signifying ION as a viable after-market platform for cable net productions. The hit series also joins ION Television's primetime schedule of the popular off-net series "Without a Trace," "Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisperer" and ION's first original police drama "Flashpoint."

Source: Nielsen Media Research; L+SD data; Leverage Season 4 through 5 telecasts SU 9-10P (6/26/11-7/24/11) versus ad-supported cable scripted programs and Season 1-4 (12/7/08-7/24/11).

Source: Top 10 Rank; Nielsen Media Research, Live+SD, 9/27/2010-8/7/2011, M-Sun 7P-12A, A25-54 (000). Excludes kids, news, and sports nets.

ABOUT ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT

Electric Entertainment is a full service film, television, and new media production company and studio headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin along with Kearie Peak, Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan. Electric is currently preparing production for the fifth season of TNT's action-packed drama "Leverage."

Electric's other television credits include "The Librarian," starring Noah Wyle, which aired on TNT network in December 2004 and was the highest rated movie on cable that year, its sequel, "The Librarian: Return to King Solomon's Mines" and the third installment of the franchise, "The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice." Along with Bryan Singer's Bad Hat Harry production company, Electric produced Syfy Channel's "The Triangle," which won an Emmy for its Visual Effects, and was the highest-rated miniseries on the cable channel since "Steven Spielberg Presents TAKEN" (2002).

Electric's most recent film project was Sony Picture Classics' politically-charged documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which was nominated by the Broadcast Film Critics Association for Best Documentary Feature.

In addition, the company also operates Electric Post, an in-house, state of the art digital effects and post-production facility, which utilizes cutting-edge technology, allowing filmmakers to stretch their dollars way beyond traditional budget boundaries.

ABOUT ION TELEVISION

ION Television is a leading U.S. general entertainment network, combining high-quality programming and dependable broadcast distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth normally associated with a cable channel. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. Since its recent launch in 2008, ION's reach has grown to 99 million households and has become one of the top-15 TV rated U.S. networks in record time. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.





  [september 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· LEVERAGE (TNT)





[08/05/26 - 12:31 PM]
Taron Egerton, Jamie Chung, Benjamin Norris, Dylan Arnold, Jessy Hodges, and Milan Carter Join the Cast of "I Love LA" Season 2
Mood board turned reality.

[08/05/26 - 12:01 PM]
Top 10 Most-Watched Prime Original Films & Series for the Week of July 27
"Ride or Die," "Off Campus," "Adarsh Baal Vidyalaya," "Elle," and "Reacher" led all original series worldwide.

[08/05/26 - 12:00 PM]
Untitled "Gilmore Girls" Documentary in Production and Coming to HBO Max
The film marks the first-ever authorized documentary about the series, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of its debut in 2025.

[08/05/26 - 11:04 AM]
Hallmark Media, NFL, Skydance Sports and the Chicago Bears Announce the Starting Lineup for "Holiday Touchdown: A Bears Love Story"
Lyndsy Fonseca, Robert Buckley, Marsha Mason, Barbara Alyn Woods, and Khary Payton will star.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
Peacock Renews "The Five Star Weekend" for a Second Season
According to preliminary Nielsen data, the series ranked among the Top 5 streaming original series during its first two weeks following its July 9 premiere.

[08/05/26 - 11:01 AM]
CBS Media Ventures Sets September Premieres for New and Returning Hit Series
New productions include "Adam's Law" and "American Mayhem."

[08/05/26 - 10:32 AM]
Video: TNT Reveals Trailer and First Look at Highly Anticipated Limited Series "High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam" Starring Joel Kinnaman
The first two episodes will debut Sunday, September 13 at 9pm ET/PT, followed by episode three on Monday, September 14 at 9pm ET/PT on TNT.

[08/05/26 - 10:11 AM]
Disastrous Home Renovations Get a Second Chance in New HGTV Series "Botched Homes"
General contractor and master craftsman Charlie Kawas will rescue South Florida homeowners from some of the region's most disastrous renovation projects in the new series, premiering Wednesday, September 2.

[08/05/26 - 10:10 AM]
Cherry Jones, Corey Stoll, Rob Delaney, Abbey Lee Join Netflix Series Based on Dan Brown's "The Secret of Secrets"
They join the previously cast Morgan Spector as Robert Langdon and Rebecca Hall as Katherine Solomon.

[08/05/26 - 09:21 AM]
Grammy Award-Nominated Group Katseye Returns to "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" For First-Ever Late-Night Performance on Wednesday, Aug. 12
Group members Sophia Laforteza, Lara Raj, Daniela Avanzini, Yoonchae Jeung and Megan Skiendiel will sit down with Fallon to chat about their new music and upcoming tour.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Varnell Hill Is Back in the Spotlight: First Look at the Long-Awaited Comedy Series "The Varnell Hill Show," Premiering Globally September 1 on Paramount+
The eight-episode first season will make its global debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

[08/05/26 - 09:01 AM]
Video: "Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young" - Official Trailer - Netflix
After delivering one of the greatest performances in Rose Bowl history, Texas Longhorns legend Vince Young was the NFL's next big thing, and for a while, he was.

[08/05/26 - 08:46 AM]
Paramount+ Announces New Scripted Drama "Trauma"
When terrorists seize a busy London Hospital and take the Prime Minister hostage during surgery, former Royal Marines medic turned ER doctor Jim Marchant (Richard Madden) must fight his way through the building to save everyone inside.

[08/05/26 - 08:41 AM]
Investigation Discovery Exposes the Story Behind One of Television's Most Controversial Reality TV Projects in "O.J. Unseen: Exploitation of Evil"
The four-part documentary event premieres on Monday, September 7 and Tuesday, September 8 at 9/8c on ID, with episodes available to stream on HBO Max.

[08/05/26 - 08:31 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind: UK" Season 3 - Official Trailer - Netflix
A new group of UK singles enter the iconic dating pods in search of love - but who will make it out of the pods and down the aisle?