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Cable television broadcasting industry

PBS and Turner Broadcasting System Sign Deal for Video Distribution and Promotion

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Ted Turner and the Public Broadcasting Service have signed a deal for Turner Broadcasting System Inc. to distribute and promote videos of PBS programs. This new partnership will leverage the resources of both organizations to bring high-quality educational and cultural content to a wider audience. The agreement will also establish a $20 million production fund to support the acquisition of rights to future documentaries and other programs.

Key Takeaways:

  • The deal will bring together PBS's high-quality educational content with Turner Broadcasting System's vast distribution network.
  • The partnership will focus on non-fiction productions, including documentaries, with the possibility of expanding to fictional and dramatic works in the future.
  • PBS will be paid a licensing fee for the use of its name and logo on the videos.
  • The deal will allow public stations throughout the country to sell the videos and offer them as incentives in promotions and fundraising.
  • The alliance will also fund a $20 million production fund to support the acquisition of rights to future documentaries and other programs.
  • Pacific Arts, the previous distributor of PBS content, declined to agree to the new terms, citing unfair licensing fees and demands.
  • PBS's President Ervin Duggan stated that the deal is not an acquisition, but rather a joint venture that will strengthen the public network.
  • Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker, is set to launch the inaugural effort of the joint venture with his nine-part 'Baseball' documentary.
  • Duggan also mentioned that similar deals with Turner and others can be expected in the future.

Statistics:

  • PBS is owed licensing fees by Pacific Arts, alleged by Burns to be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
  • Multiple producers are owed lesser amounts by Pacific Arts, as stated by Burns.
  • 12 other properties, including previous Burns documentaries, are in the pipeline for TBS distribution after 'Baseball' hits the shelves in September.
  • PBS will determine the distribution channels for its content.
  • The estimated time for 'Baseball' to hit the shelves is September prior to the World Series.
  • The deal will bring Turner's vast distribution network to PBS's educational content.

Sources:

  • [No specific sources provided in the text, however, the information is included from the original article.]

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