AMC Gains Exclusive, Decade-Long Basic-Cable Rights To 'The Godfather' Franchise
Network Holds On-Air, On-Demand Rights From 2011-19
Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 9/7/2010 11:44:08 AM
AMC evidently made Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution an offer it couldn't refuse.
The Rainbow Media Holdings service has acquired the exclusive basic-cable rights to Paramount Pictures' The Godfather trilogy for the balance of the decade.
Beginning in January and extending through December 2019, AMC will be the only place on ad-supported cable where viewers can watch the Academy Award-winners for best picture, The Godfather (1972) and its sequel The Godfather: Part II (1974). The network also scored the rights to The Godfather: Part III (1990).
The license fee for what is being billed as the longest term ever for the acclaimed franchise was not disclosed.
AMC's license encompasses on-demand rights to the three films. Also included is The Godfather: The Complete Novel for Television (1977), the nine-hour chronological re-edit of the first two installations, as well as additional documentaries and behind-the-scenes footage from Paramount's vaults.
The investment underscores AMC's commitment to bringing viewers the best in visual storytelling, whether through top theatricals or the network's critically-acclaimed and award-winning original series such as the three-time Emmy-winner for outstanding drama Mad Men, Breaking Bad and Rubicon.
It also prohibits other basic-cable networks from airing the franchise, oft-times in high-profile stunt modes, into the next decade. Epix, the joint venture of Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer GM and Lionsgate, continues to hold and exploit premium channel rights.
"The Godfather is recognized as one of the greatest sagas ever told on film," said Tom Halleen, AMC senior vice president of programming and scheduling, in a statement. "AMC is proud to be the exclusive long-term basic cable home to this incredible franchise, for the next decade. The Godfather acquisition, as well as our ongoing commitment to quality original series, underscores AMC's promise to provide the best stories on television. The latest investment further represents AMC's commitment to continually expand its extensive movie library."
"We are very pleased to have concluded this arrangement with AMC," noted Hal Richardson, president of Paramount Worldwide Television Distribution. "We believe this is a terrific programming match. AMC's motion picture programming continues to embody the finest movies in cinema history and we are thrilled The Godfather pictures, one of the most beloved series of movies ever made, have been added to their motion picture lineup to be enjoyed by television audiences for many years to come."
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