Television
June 15, 2006
The Hottest U.S. Shows Come To Channel 4 In New Deal With Warner Bros. International Television Distribution
(June 15, 2006 - Burbank, CA and London ) – Channel 4 this week signed a new deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution (WBITD), securing yet another crop of the very best of American programming for Channel 4, E4 and More4 viewers, it was announced today by Jeff Ford, Channel 4, Director of Acquisitions and Jeffrey R. Schlesinger, President, Warner Bros. International Television.
The agreement includes two of the most sought-after new acquisitions—the one-hour drama series "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," from Emmy®-winning writer/producer Aaron Sorkin and Emmy®-winning director/producer Thomas Schlamme, both of “The West Wing,” and the half-hour comedy "The Class," from Emmy®-winning “Friends” co-creator David Crane & Emmy®-nominated writer/producer Jeffrey Klarik (“Mad About You”).
The pact, negotiated on behalf of Channel 4 by Jeff Ford, Director of Acquisitions and on behalf of WBITD by Chris Law, Managing Director, U.K., also includes rights to broadcast forthcoming seasons of WBITD’s hit dramas "ER," "Without a Trace" and "Smallville."
“We are thrilled to continue our strong relationship with Warner Bros. in order to bring high quality American entertainment and drama to both Channel 4, E4 and More4,” said Jeff Ford.
“Following in the long-standing tradition of providing some of our best and most interesting new programs to Channel 4, we are pleased that both 'Studio 60' and 'The Class' will also have Channel 4 as their home in the U.K.,” said Jeffrey R. Schlesinger.
In "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," Emmy Award®-winning writer/producer Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) tackles the contentious, rarely seen world of network television, along with acclaimed director/producer Thomas Schlamme (“The West Wing”) and a phenomenal ensemble cast led by Matthew Perry (“Friends”) and Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”) who star as a brilliant, unpredictable writer/producer team brought in to save a failing late-night sketch-comedy series. This daring, highly anticipated comedic drama goes behind the scenes to expose the politics, personalities and pandemonium of producing a flagship series on a major television network.
From David Crane, the Emmy® winning co-creator of “Friends,” & Emmy®-nominated writer/producer Jeffrey Klarik (“Mad About You”) comes "The Class," a new comedy revolving around a core group of eight twentysomethings who were all in the same class 20 years ago. When the former schoolmates—all of whom have lost touch and are now on their own wildly divergent paths—are reunited at a party, long-dormant feelings are rekindled, as each of the classmates reunites with the grown-up versions of the little kids they remember. The ensemble cast of "The Class" includes Jason Ritter (“Joan of Arcadia”) and Sean Maguire (“EastEnders”).
Warner Bros. International Television Distribution is one of the world’s largest distributors of feature films, television programs and animation to the international television marketplace (broadcast, pay cable, basic cable, satellite, pay-per-view, video-on-demand, digital platforms, etc.). It licenses some 48,000 hours of programming (including more than 6,000 features and 74 current series), dubbed or subtitled in more than 40 languages, to telecasters and cablecasters in more than 175 countries.
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