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ION Media Networks, Inc. (AMEX:ION), owner and operator of the nation's largest television station group, and RHI Entertainment (formerly known as Hallmark Entertainment), a global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television, have entered into a strategic programming agreement for the broadcast of RHI Entertainment's extensive library of award-winning titles and select original programming on ION's nationwide distribution platform reaching over 92 million U.S. homes.
Under the terms of the agreement, RHI Entertainment will serve as ION's exclusive television programming supplier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights for an initial two-year period beginning July 1, 2007. RHI will plan and program the 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. time periods, totaling 12 hours of programming per week, utilizing its prolific catalog of over 1,200 titles, which have captured 448 Emmy Nominations, 103 Emmy Awards, 15 Golden Globe Awards and numerous Peabody, SAG, Christopher and Genesis Awards.
The agreement also provides for the U.S. broadcast premiere of at least six new RHI productions each year.
"We are extremely pleased to have entered into this synergistic relationship with a world leader in quality family television entertainment," said Brandon Burgess, CEO of ION Media Networks. "RHI's impressive content library, creative capabilities and strong leadership make them a natural partner for us, as they seek to expand their reach and deliver high-quality programming to a larger audience using our nationwide footprint."
"This venture is an amazing opportunity to activate our vast entertainment library," said Robert Halmi, Jr., President of RHI Entertainment. "It is especially exciting for us to be able to reach an extensive audience each weekend in primetime. We look forward to working with ION Media Networks in the years to come."
RHI will consult and collaborate with ION on the scheduling of all programs, creation of on-air promotions and advertising sales strategy. The two companies will work together on determining the amount of ad inventory, ad rates and product categories, to maximize revenue for the time periods.
About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group and the i network, reaching over 92 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. The i network delivers a mix of original series, classic TV favorites, movies, specials and sports for viewers of all ages. Utilizing the digital multicasting capacity of its television station group, the Company plans to launch new digital over-the-air networks, including qubo, a 24-hour children's network formed in partnership with Scholastic, Corus Entertainment, Classic Media/Big Idea and NBC Universal, as well as iHealth, a 24-hour channel dedicated to consumer healthcare and healthy living. For more information, please visit www.ionmedia.tv.
About RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment, LLC is a global leader in the production and distribution of groundbreaking miniseries and movies for television. Since the company's inception, under the guidance of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed over 4,000 hours of quality television programming, received 103 Emmy Awards, and outperformed the competition annually in viewer ratings. Currently, RHI provides 40 to 60 new television movies and miniseries a year to networks worldwide.
