AARP, Retirement TV Team To Produce TV Content

By R. Thomas Umstead -- Multichannel News, 9/4/2007 9:44:00 PM

Retirement Living TV cut a deal with baby-boomer-targeted organization AARP to develop original programming for the network.

As part of the agreement, Retirement Living TV –which recently named former G4 founder Charles Hirshhorn as its chief creative officer -- will develop several new original series from the AARP’s Washington D.C.-based television studios, according to Retirement Living TV Vice President of Programming for Elliot Jacobson.

In addition, AARP will produce a variety of programs to premier on Retirement Living TV, although its unclear how many shows will air on the network, or when such programming will be available.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With 38 million members over 50 years of age, the AARP deal is a major coup for the 29-million subscriber network, which targets the baby-boomer audience. While AARP hat yet to produce any television content, the organization has extensive experience in print media through the production of such publications as the bi-monthly AARP The Magazine and the monthly newspaper AARP Bulletin.

“I can think of no greater compliment than to have AARP place its shows on our network,” said Jacobson. “For AARP to align themselves exclusively with our cable channel shows that they felt they’re message aligns well with ours, and as a result the programming will be seamless in its appeal.”

AARP’s Chief Communication Officer Kevin Donnellan said in a statement that the organization is “excited that this relationship will enable us to begin reaching viewers directly with AARP original programming.”