Announces Multi-Year Deals for “NCIS: New Orleans” and “Hawaii Five-0”
Expands ION’s Position as Leading Aggregator of Highest Quality Dramas
for Ad-Supported Over-the-Air Broadcast, Multichannel and OTT Distribution
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., Oct. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ION Media, the nation’s leading independent broadcast television group, today announced an expansion of its long-standing successful content relationship with ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group. The deal covers all seasons of the CBS hit dramas “NCIS: New Orleans” and “Hawaii Five-0” for broadcast.
This adds two iconic CBS franchises to ION’s syndication library, further strengthening its position as the leading broadcast distributor of the highest quality dramas. ION now has 12 of the 20 longest-running U.S. drama franchises as part of its lineup. Many of those franchises remain in original production, extending the audience following of those series for years to come.
“ION is committed to serving American broadcast households with the highest quality dramas on U.S. television,” said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media. “Over-the-air broadcasting has grown to be the primary source of live linear television for nearly a quarter of the U.S. population. We serve that growing demand – plus multichannel and streaming households -- with what our loyal audiences look to us for: the best library of scripted dramas on any network.”
“NCIS: New Orleans” is a division of NCIS that is charged with investigating criminal cases involving military personnel in New Orleans. Scott Bakula stars as Dwayne Pride, a.k.a. “King,” a native of New Orleans who is driven by his moral compass. Along with his team of highly trained agents, they put their lives on the line in the field to bring down their targets. The series also stars Vanessa Ferlito, Necar Zadegan, Charles Michael Davis, Rob Kerkovich, Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, Chelsea Field and CCH Pounder.
People’s Choice ‘Best New Drama’ winner, “Hawaii Five-0,” is a contemporary take on the classic series about an elite task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Alex O’Loughlin, starring as Detective Steve McGarrett, and Scott Caan playing “Danno” Williams, lead the brash Five-0 unit, determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state. The series also stars Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Chi McBride, Ian Anthony Dale, Meaghan Rath and Beulah Koale.
The deal adds to ION’s long-standing relationship with ViacomCBS, which also currently includes the hit shows “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Criminal Minds,” “Blue Bloods,” and the “CSI” franchises.
About ION Media
ION Media is an independent, privately held media company launched in 2007. ION Media’s flagship network, ION Television, is the most widely distributed and watched independent broadcast network in the U.S., serving 100+ million homes with a popular lineup of TV series, plus original shows and movies. ION Media also broadcasts two digital multicast networks nationally: ION Plus, offering general entertainment content; and Qubo, dedicated to children and families with content that entertains and educates. ION is the nation’s largest operator of full-power TV broadcast stations by national household reach, with 71 full-power stations. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.
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