Twilight One of Many Summit Entertainment Films Headed to Showtime December 4, 2008 11:37 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Cable, Movies, News, Showtime, Twilight.1 comment so far
Summit Entertainment and Showtime have inked a new deal that will see up to 42 of Summit’s theatrical titles, from 2008 to 2012, air on the premium cable network, including the recent hit Twilight.
“We’re excited that ‘Twilight’ is obviously going to be a huge franchise, and that there will probably be several more of those films coming as part of the deal,” said Showtime chairman and CEO Matthew Blank.
Since its release on November 21st, Twilight has grossed more than $120 million domestically.
The deal also includes 2009’s Knowing, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne, as well as Push, starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning and Djimon Hounsou.
Source: Variety
Lionsgate Searching for New Mad Men Showrunner? October 29, 2008 12:55 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in AMC, Cable, Lionsgate, Mad Men, News, Television.add a comment
It seems like a joke, no? Why would Lionsgate be looking for a new showrunner on a series which just had its best ratings ever (while admittedly still low) and became the first basic cable show to ever win an emmy for best drama? But, apparently that’s exactly what the studio is doing. According to Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood Daily, Lionsgate execs are calling around various Hollywood agencies looking for a showrunner to replace Mathew Weiner, the creator of AMC’s Mad Men. The reasoning, according to Finke’s sources, is that they think Weiner’s agents are asking too much money for him. CAA, the agency that represents Weiner, is reportedly asking for Weiner to be paid $10 million a year. He also wants control over promotion and advertising.
While that type of money is common place for hit shows on premium cable, the economics almost never make sense to pay some one that much for a basic cable television show and Lionsgate is balking at the asking price. From DHD:
“The ‘ask’ was insanity,” one insider tells me. “It’s preposterous. AMC is a basic cable network. The economics don’t support this. It’s why Lionsgate is throwing their arms up in the air. And, remember, they got a two-year pickup for the show with or without Matt Weiner.”
When asked by a Lionsgate source about this situation, Finke was told, “We’re negotiating with Matthew Weiner. But we want him back…” If that’s the case, then it seems very odd for them to go out and look for a new showrunner just in case.
As I prefaced earlier, Mad Men just concluded its best season. Sunday’s finale drew 1.75 million total viewers, an improvement of 89% over the first-season finale (926,000). Compared to season one, season two saw an increase of 63% among total viewers (1.5 million vs. 925,000) as well as gains among the key demos adults 18-49 (+109%–705,000 vs. 338,000) and adults 25-54 (+81%–780,000 vs. 430,000).
Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
Dish Joins DirecTV in Offering Big Ten Network September 7, 2007 5:20 pm
Posted by Rosario T. Calabria in Big Ten Network, Cable, College Football, News, Sports.add a comment
Missing out on that amazing Michigan/Appalachian State game last week may have pushed DISH to expediate their pick-up of the Big Ten Network. The satellite provider today announced that the station has been added to their lineup of networks.
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