NEW YORK, Sept. 13, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ION Television expands its television family with the acquisition of the hit sitcom series "George Lopez" from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The announcement was made today by Brandon Burgess, CEO, ION Media Networks.
As part of the content deal, ION Television obtains the exclusive broadcast syndication rights to all five seasons of the series. Starring comedian George Lopez, the series will air on ION Thursdays beginning September 29 with a three-hour block from 1pm-4pm ET/PT, on Fridays from 1pm -6pm ET/PT and again on Sundays from 10pm-3am ET/PT.
"Adding a high-quality, comedic series such as 'George Lopez' to our line-up is another strategic step in expanding ION's schedule and provides us momentum as we head into the new television season," says Burgess. "We especially like this show for its crossover potential into daytime, which is an expansion focus for us going forward."
Stand-up comedian George Lopez stars as George, a guy who has made lemonade from lemons at every turn. Since he became plant manager at an L.A. airplane parts factory, George has handled a complicated job, a strong but demanding marriage, two rebellious children, a mother who can't keep track of her own lies about his childhood and an adult niece with an enormous inheritance and absolutely no sense of boundaries -- all with his sense of humor intact.
The "George Lopez" deal comes on the heels of ION's recent acquisitions of other hit series including "Leverage," "Psych," "Monk" and "House," signifying ION as a viable after-market platform. The series also joins ION Television's primetime schedule of the popular off-net series "Without a Trace," "Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisperer" and ION's first original police drama "Flashpoint," premiering October 18, with new originals.
ABOUT ION TELEVISION
ION Television is a leading U.S. general entertainment network, combining high-quality programming and dependable broadcast distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth normally associated with a cable channel. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. Since its recent launch in 2008, ION's reach has grown to 99 million households and has become one of the top-10 TV rated U.S. networks in record time. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.
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Media Contact:
Christina Gilmartin, ION Media Networks
212-603-8429
christinagilmartin@ionmedia.com
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