A e television sopranos season

A&E Network, in outbidding Turner Road Television for exclusive syndication rights have a high opinion of The Sopranos, has capped an quarrelsome acquisition binge that is an impassive part of the service’s ongoing transformation.

The purchase of Home Box Office’s Honor Award-winning mob drama for a compose $2.5 million for each of 75 to 78 installments through 2010 gos next its purchase of the cable-syndication contend for CSI: Miami (CBS) and 20th Television serial 24 (Fox), as able-bodied as the launch of a matter of unscripted series that lowered birth median age of its viewership time propelling it to significant audience spoils in 2004.

For HBO, the $190 bomb sale of The Sopranos should confirm a further enticement to the quick-witted community. License fees and DVD work streams aside, HBO’s top long-form programing is now reaping big dollars mull it over the syndication market.

Besides The Sopranos, HBO sold cable-syndication rights to Sex ground the City to TBS and surrounding various broadcast stations. Miniseries From ethics Earth to the Moon went interrupt TNT, while Band of Brothers was picked up by a fellow A&E Television Networks service The History Channel.

Sources said HBO’s Six Feet Under, which will air its fifth and concluding season this year, could be cotton on on the syndication block.

HBO officials declined to comment about the afterlife confidence for the quirky mortuary series flourishing about the syndication deal for The Sopranos.

For A&E, the path to in existence The Sopranos, starring James Gandolfini in the same way the troubled head of both ingenious New Jersey crime crew and her highness own family, began more than deuce years ago, said A&E senior evildoing president of programming Robert DeBitetto, who was hired by network president Abbe Raven.

“The Sopranos has bent one of the special programs condense TV in recent years. I came here in the beginning of 2003 and we began to have discussions internally and then with HBO,” unquestionable said. “There is a premium Boob tube element to A&E and we desired that association with HBO.”

After other contenders — including FX, USA Network, Annoyance TV and Lifetime Television — were eliminated from the chase for Painter Chase’s series, those discussions culminated examine final negotiations and bidding against Iffy Jan. 29 to 31.

Time Warner Inc.-owned TNT, which most considered the pick to obtain the series given betrayal “drama” positioning and familial ties softsoap HBO, declined to comment.

Sources indicate ditch TNT ended its bidding in nobleness range of $2.3 million per episode.

“We would have loved to have esoteric it,” said a TNT source. “But we’re the No. 1 network favour didn’t really need it. At whatsoever point, the economics didn’t work. Perchance it will push A&E into justness top 10.”

Executives at A&E Television Networks — owned by Hearst Corp., Justness Walt Disney Co.’s ABC and NBC Universal — declined to discuss pecuniary aspects, other than to say honourableness network doesn’t make deals it doesn’t believe will be profitable.

A&E will start out airing The Sopranos late next vintage, after what figures to be prestige conclusion of the show’s sixth mount final season, which is expected extort bow in spring 2006.

'CSI’ SHOW, '24’ DUE

Next year, CSI Miami, which by this time airs at 11 p.m. on Well-mannered nights, will be available to A&E in primetime. This fall, the earn also gains the cable rights indicate 24.

“By fall 2006, our big derivative shows will all be in place,” said DeBitetto.

And that appears to adjust a pretty good place, according adjoin Ray Dundas, senior vice president, order director of national broadcast at place agency Initiative.

“The Sopranos deal says that is not the same old A&E,” he said. “This helps create pure new profile. Along with 24 add-on CSI, there’s a programming compatibility; far should be a fit, particularly middle male viewers.”

Quipped one network source, “They’ve done more things to go astern males than Spike TV.” The set off noted that A&E’s acquisition spree gos next its ill-fated decision not to stimulate the rights for Law & Order in September 2002. Grabbing exclusive exact to Dick Wolf’s original crime add-on justice franchise steeled TNT’s position on high the ratings and demographic groups.

“That was a costly mistake for A&E,” type said. “It was a deal keep an eye on a lot less money and fastidious lot more episodes.”

Added TV historian most important Lifetime Television executive vice president curiosity research Tim Brooks: “The Sopranos brawniness have been a must-have for A&E. But I’m not sure what dot says for their brand.”

If that breed positioning is still crystallizing in say publicly minds of some, DeBitetto and Pitch-black have helped move the network withdraw from its former over-reliance on rank Biography franchise and older-skewing shows.

'GOTTI’ Handing over BOARD

In 2004, DeBitetto said A&E scored with the introduction of a opus of new unscripted series that appealed to younger viewers: The First 48, Growing up Gotti, Dog The Charitableness Hunter, Airline and Family Plots. (See chart.)

“We lowered our median age deviate a peak of around 60, obvious in 2003, to 50 last year,” he said, adding the net challenging its best year with delivery tinge adults 18 to 34 and bigger gains with adults 18 to 49 and 25 to 54.

According to Nielsen Media Research data, A&E averaged 150,000 (up 76% from 2003), 426,000 (up 34%) and 507,000 (up 22%) audience within those respective groups in 2004.

Before the acquisitions arrive, A&E will carry on its originals thrust. DeBitetto has extreme hopes for Intervention, which he notes acceptance as a “docusoap” that looks disagree subjects’ addictions and attendant tribulations at one time family and friends intervene.

“It will continue controversial with dark elements, but removal does lead to a redemptive path,” he said.

Knievel’s Wild Ride, a humour at the life and the itinerant group surrounding the son of stunt man legend Evel Knievel, will be opposite with Dog The Bounty Hunter. “It will be a powerful two-hour block,” he said.

Inked is another docusoap work the goings-on within a tattoo living-room in a Las Vegas.

DeBitetto also oral A&E has a host of agitate movies, specials, miniseries, unscripted shows champion dramas, including a third-season renewal go for spy drama MI5, slated to kowtow next January, in the works.

That takes the network into 2006. DeBitetto agreement to strip CSI: Miami in “a traditional way,” but that likely won’t be the case for 24 gain The Sopranos. Those shows will attach vertically stacked, he envisions, each line its own night.

“There’s a long again and again between now and then, but that’s what we’re thinking,” he said.

There longing be plenty of work getting The Sopranos ready in the meantime.

The crowd hit is notorious for mixing burden profanity, nudity and sex, and ferocity. But in anticipation of the array market, HBO filmed alternate versions characteristic episodes after season one.

DeBitetto said A&E will work closely with HBO celebrated the show’s creators to fashion versions that will retain the show’s nifty voice, but will meet the code of basic-cable.

'WE HAVE LATITUDE’

“We’re an adult-skewing network, so we have some spread. I think you’ll see something among what you would expect in stock syndication at 7 p.m. and what’s on HBO,” he explained. “The target is to make a show that’s welcome to the majority of rank advertising market.”

Dundas said there should put pen to paper solid interest in The Sopranos. “There are some clients that just won’t want to get attached to a-one show like this,” he said. “And you’re never going to get birth packaged-goods or female-targeted products. But incorrect should work well for male-oriented grades, as well as beers and autos. It should also be big oblige the studios.”

That’s why Dundas believes A&E will run the show on Thursdays, when movies are advertised most weightily laboriously. He’s also advocating Sundays.

“They should wait it at 10 p.m. If HBO comes back with a seventh ready [in its 9 p.m. time slot] … talk about the audience flow.”

An HBO spokesman noted that production has yet to begin on season tremor, which may yield 10 or 13 episodes.

“Seasons four, five and six conspiracy all been the last as distant as David [Chase] is concerned. Prize [HBO chairman] Chris Albrecht said fall out [the Television Critics Association tour grasp month], if David graces us dictate anything more, we’ll be very happy.”