SANTA MONICA and VANCOUVER – In a move designed to bolster its programming and attract new viewers, TV Guide Network has acquired the exclusive basic cable off-network rights to the series Ugly Betty from Disney-ABC Domestic Television.
The deal includes access to existing and future episodes of the show, which will begin airing as a weekly strip on TV Guide Network in the Fall of 2010. It is TV Guide Network’s first scripted series acquisition, and part of “a multi-tiered programming strategy” to re-brand the network as an entertainment destination.
As part of the agreement, TVGuide.com will have rights to stream up to five show episodes at a time on-line. The deal also includes repurpose rights for the new season which will premiere in October 2009 on ABC. The repeat telecast of the new episodes will air on TV Guide Network within two weeks of their premiere dates.
TV Guide Network and its on-line business was acquired by Lionsgate studio on February 28, 2009. The company recently announced that One Equity Partners and Allen Shapiro had become a 49% financial partner.
