ABC, Warner Bros., and John Wells Productions have signed an agreement to
allow a new dramatic series, The Court, starring Sally Field, to
be shown on a Disney-owned cable outlet within eight days after being
aired on ABC.
Today’s Wall Street Journal described the
deal as a possible “model for the industry as Hollywood looks for ways to
recycle programming through multiple outlets without hurting the
long-term value of shows in reruns.”
As reported by the online edition of
Electronic Media magazine Wednesday, it was expected that the show
will receive its second airing on the Family Channel, which Disney is
acquiring from Fox, although the Disney Channel or Lifetime are also
possibilities. The deal also includes a complicated formula to determine
the value of the series that takes into consideration its “repurposing”
usage.
