Turner buys Paramount titles. (Turner Broadcasting System Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp., motion picture broadcast rights)(Brief Article)

Broadcasting & Cable, August, 1996 by Brown, Rich

Turner Broadcasting has struck a 10-year deal with Paramount Pictures giving its TNT and WTBS networks exclusive rights to 101 movie titles covering the 1970s ("Chinatown," "Saturday Night Fever"); the 1980s ("Terms of Endearment," "48 Hours"), and the early 1990s ("Days of Thunder," "Soapdish").

Terms were not disclosed, but industry estimates placed the deal at about $25 million. The movies will begin appearing on the networks later this year and will be exclusive within their Turner windows. TNT President Bradley Siegel says the package is part of the network's "new classic" movie strategy designed to draw in younger viewers. Turner earlier this year signed a deal for two dozen contemporary titles from Columbia TriStar Television Distribution. --RB