In ABC Family president Angela Shapiro's first off-network acquisition, the
cable service has acquired the rights to Gilmore Girls,officials
said Thursday.
Under a multiyear deal for The WB Television Network's hit show, ABC Family
will begin airing reruns of Gilmore Girls in fall 2004. The cable network
bought rights to the series from Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution.
"Gilmore Girls is a smartly written, well-cast show with a loyal
audience and long list of accolades," Shapiro said in a prepared statement. "We
are delighted to have it join our lineup."
ABC Family officials declined to comment on how much they are paying for
Gilmore Girls or who else, if anyone, had bid on the show.
But Warner Bros. executives did say the program is a good fit for ABC
Family.
"This is the fastest-growing series on network television, appealing to an
upscale, young audience. And, best of all, the series was created under the
Family Friendly Program Forum, giving it the advertiser seal of approval," Eric
Frankel, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Cable, said in a prepared
statement.
"We are certain this award-winning popular series will soon become a
signature series for ABC Family as it has for The WB," he
added.
