Television
March 8, 2010
ABC Family Acquires Network Television Premiere Rights To “The Blind Side,” Starring Oscar® Winner Sandra Bullock, In Deal With Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
(March 8, 2010 – Burbank, CA) – ABC Family has acquired the network television premiere rights to the Academy Award®-nominated hit film “The Blind Side,” starring Oscar® winner Sandra Bullock, in a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD), it was announced today by Tom Zappala, Executive Vice President, Program Acquisitions & Scheduling, ABC Cable Networks Group, and Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The deal gives ABC Family the rights to the movie’s network television premiere, with “The Blind Side” slated to debut on the network in 2012. In addition to the film scoring an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, star Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.
“‘The Blind Side’ has a wonderful mix of optimism and heart,” said Zappala. “It is a perfect fit for ABC Family.”
“Feature films are an integral part of the formula for a successful cable service, and ABC Family has created a terrific destination where Warner Bros. movies have thrived,” said Werner. “The acquisition of ‘The Blind Side’ is yet another example of how ABC Family and Warner Bros. collaborate to enhance the great ABC Family franchise.”
Written and directed by John Lee Hancock (“The Rookie”), “The Blind Side” stars Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw (“Friday Night Lights”) and Oscar winner Kathy Bates (“Misery”) in the remarkable true story of football star Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a virtually homeless teen who’s taken in by a compassionate woman (Bullock) and her family who are determined to see him realize his potential, both on and off the field. From Alcon Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures, the film has generated over $250 million in domestic box office to date. In addition to winning the Academy Award, Bullock has previously won the Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Screen Actors Guild Awards for her lead performance in the film. Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson produced the film, with Molly Smith, Erwin Stoff and Timothy M. Bourne serving as executive producers.
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading suppliers of entertainment programming to the domestic television marketplace, distributing first-run syndicated series, off-network television programs and theatrical motion pictures to local broadcast television stations, as well as to pay, cable, satellite and broadcast networks throughout the U.S. WBDTD handles the domestic distribution of television series produced by Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Horizon Television; selected HBO Independent Productions and the Lorimar Television library; current feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures; and the Studio’s unmatched motion picture library. For more information, please log on to www.wbdtd.com.
Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 98 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relatable programming about today's relationships – told with a mix of diversity, dysfunction, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas!" ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.