Nickandmore!

via press release:

Nickelodeon, Nick At Nite and TV Land Strike Programming Deal with Warner Bros. for Multiple Hit Television Shows

July 16, 1999

Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and TV Land have reached a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Pay-TV, Cable & Network Features in which all three networks will have access to several of Warner Bros. programs from the past 40 years of television. The agreement, which begins in April, 2000, will enable all three popular programming services to bring numerous hit sitcoms and dramas to a variety of dayparts.

The deal gives Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite exclusive cable access to: the hugely popular Will Smith star vehicle, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the hit sitcom, Full House, which made Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen household names – both shows roll into the line-up beginning in Fall, 2003. The deal also gives all three Nick brands all-television exclusivity to: the popular 1970s sitcom, Chico and the Man; the Mark Curry sitcom, Hangin’ with Mister Cooper and the fish-out-of-water sitcom from the 1960’s, My Favorite Martian. The agreement further permits the networks to have access to: the Emmy Award-winning drama China Beach; the enduring classic western, Maverick; the immensely popular series, The Adventures of Superman; the trend-setting detective drama, 77 Sunset Strip; the long-running prime time drama, Falcon Crest and dozens of other programs.

“These new acquisitions including Will Smith’s The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and the popular sitcom, Full House underscore Nickelodeon and Nick at Nite’s promise to present hit shows that kids and their parents can enjoy together,” explains Cyma Zarghami, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Nickelodeon. “Warner Bros. has been one of the most significant producers of original programming since the beginning of television and we’re looking forward to bringing some of these great shows to our viewers.”

“The programs that TV Land can access in the vast Warner Bros. library such as China Beach and My Favorite Martian enable us to further our commitment to bringing the best of everything television to fans of great TV,” explains Larry W. Jones, General Manager of TV Land. “This deal guarantees that TV Land’s viewers will continue to see some of the best television ever made, well into the next century.”

Warner Bros. Domestic Pay-TV, Cable & Network Features is one of the leading suppliers of programming to the cable and satellite marketplaces. It is responsible for sales, marketing and distribution for Warner Bros. already-produced feature films, television series, miniseries, television movies, classic animation, as well as, music-oriented series and specials to the pay-per-view, pay television and basic cable markets. It is also a major licensor of feature films and classic animation to the broadcast networks.

Nickelodeon, which is celebrating its 20th birthday in 1999, has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the U.S. and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, magazines, books and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 75 million households, and has been the number one rated cable network for three consecutive years.

Fans can access TV and pop culture information, trivia and games by logging on to www.tvland.com or TV Land online on America Online (Keyword: TVL).

TV Land is a 24-hour network of TV favorites inspired by Nick at Nite which launched April 29, 1996. It offers the best television dramas, westerns, sitcoms and variety shows from the 1950’s through the 1990’s. The channel also celebrates pop culture as seen through television with classic vintage commercials called “retromercials(r)” and short tongue-in-cheek TV land interstitial programming created by the makers of Nick at Nite.

Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite and TV Land and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.