TNT Gets Alias
TNT will pay Buena Vista Television more than $200,000 per episode for the off-net rights to ABC's Alias, say several industry sources. The network plans to strip the spy thriller with a fall 2005 premiere, but has yet to place it on the schedule.
TNT is likely to include the show in its "Primetime in the Daytime" lineup, which includes off-net dramas Law & Order, ER, Charmed, and Angel.
Buena Vista still holds the right to sell the show in weekend broadcast syndication for fall 2005 but hasn't made a deal.
Season-to-date, Alias is second in its Sunday 9 p.m. time period to NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent with a 3.4 rating/8 share. In its third season, Alias is down 9% in viewers and 15% in adults 18-49. It has been performing better, though, with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition as a lead-in.
Web Wheel Fans May Win
Wheel of Fortune is transferring its online viewer rewards program to the TV screen, giving the show's at-home audience a chance to win the same prizes as contestants.
Members of the Web-based Wheel Watchers Club—350,000 strong—will be issued what the producers call a SPIN ID (Special Prize Identification Number).
From March 15 through June 4, a SPIN ID will be flashed during Wheel. The winners, if they're watching, win such prizes as a trip to Hawaii, a Caribbean cruise, or whatever prize is offered that day. Besides vying for loot, Web users can redeem points to save on merchandise and VIP trips to see Wheel of Fortune tapings.
NBC-E Has Designs on Mizrahi
Isaac Mizrahi is bringing his style—which runs the gamut from haute couture to Target-chic—to NBC Enterprises. The syndicator has signed the designer to an overall development deal. He may end up with a talk show rather than a how-to on style or design. His creative partner Marisa Gardini and manager Larry Brezner are working out the deal.
"We are thrilled to be working with someone of Isaac's ability," said Ed Wilson, president of NBC Enterprises. "He connects with the audiences."
