April 8, 2002, Los Angeles, CA – Twentieth Television and AMC have entered into an agreement for the off-network rights of TALES FROM THE CRYPT to begin airing January 1, 2003. Additionally, Twentieth Television has secured the off-network run of UPN’s hit series ROSWELL on SCI FI Channel for a 2003 debut. The announcement was made today by Bob Cook, President & COO; Bob Cesa, Executive Vice President, Advertising & Cable Sales; and Steve MacDonald, Senior Vice President & General Sales Manager, Basic Cable, Twentieth Television.
“Both TALES FROM THE CRYPT and ROSWELL are critically acclaimed, quality productions and proven performers,” stated Mr. Cook. “We are delighted that viewers will continue to be able to enjoy these timeless dramas on AMC and SCI FI Channel.”
Executive-produced by the blockbuster team of Joel Silver (The Matrix), Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump), Richard Donner (Lethal Weapon) and Walter Hill (Alien), TALES FROM THE CRYPT debuted in 1991 on HBO. Attracting Hollywood’s acting elite including Kirk Douglas, Brad Pitt, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, the show and its Cryptkeeper has hosted the industry’s leading talent in a variety of roles.
The acclaimed ensemble drama ROSWELL debuted in 1999 on The WB and follows three teenagers who discover that they are surviving descendants of the beings on board the infamous 1947 crash in Roswell, New Mexico. The three learn they are human/alien hybrids, sent here as replacements for the royalty of an alien race. ROSWELL is produced by Regency Television in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television. The series is distributed by Twentieth Television.
A division of Fox Television, Twentieth Television produces and/or distributes programming and distributes feature film packages for the domestic syndication and cable marketplace. Twentieth brings a wide variety of product to the marketplace ranging from the smash offnetwork sitcom “The Simpsons” to the precedent setting sales of ground-breaking dramas “The Practice” and “Ally McBeal” to cable (FX cable network). Twentieth continues to solidify its distinction as the number one supplier of offnetwork product with such popular shows as “King of the Hill”, “Dharma & Greg”, “Malcolm in the Middle” and “The Hughleys”. Over the years, Twentieth’s firstrun production has been at the forefront of the syndication business, creating the news magazine genre with “A Current Affair”, the reality genre with “Cops”, and many others. Twentieth Television’s successful courtroom drama, “Divorce Court” is in its third season. This January, Twentieth Television launched “Texas Justice”, a new courtroom strip which was incubated on a regional basis prior to the national launch. “Good Day Live” and “The Rob Nelson Show” are set to launch nationwide this fall.
AMC is a premiere 24 hour movie network dedicated to the world of American film. With one of the finest, most comprehensive libraries of popular films, and a diverse blend of original series, documentaries and interstitials, AMC offers an elegant and contemporary entertainment destination. AMC is a fully distributed network reaching over 82,000,000 U.S. homes (as of Jan. 2002) and ranking #16 in size among all 55 networks. Since its launch in 1984, AMC has been dedicated to deepening the movie experience for its viewers, featuring film-loving celebrity hosts and an increasingly visible, critically-acclaimed slate of original programming. AMC has more than doubled its original programming over the past 3 years and garnered many of the industry’s highest honors, including five Emmy awards.
AMC is owned and managed by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a leader in news, sports and entertainment programming. A subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE:CVC) and NBC, Rainbow manages American Movie Classics, WE: Women’s Entertainment, Bravo, The Independent Film Channel, MuchMusic USA, Rainbow Sports Networks, News 12 Networks, MetroChannels and Mag Rack as well as the Rainbow Advertising Sales Corporation and Rainbow Network Communications. In addition, Rainbow is a fifty-percent partner in FOX Sports Net. [Business] is one of the assets included in the Rainbow Media Group tracking stock (NYSE:RMG), a series of Cablevision common stock. MGM (NYSE:MGM) owns a 20% stake in four of Rainbow’s national networks – AMC, Bravo, IFC, and WE: Women’s Entertainment.
SCI FI Channel, owned and operated by USA Cable, a division of USA Networks, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: USAI) Entertainment Group, transmits fantastic images to 78 million human homes. Launched in 1992, SCI FI features a continuous stream of cinematic hits, new and original series, and special events, as well as classic sci-fi, fantasy, and horror programming. Check out SCIFI.COM