MIPCOM 2014. A+E Networks has set MIPCOM for the launch of A+E Studios International, a banner under which the company will distribute and finance quality scripted series, TV events and movies.
The announcement was made by Sean Cohan, EVP, International for A+E Networks and Bob DeBitetto, president, brand strategy, business development and A+E Studios, A+E Networks.
A+E Networks will introduce a line-up of nearly 40 hours of scripted projects under the A+E Studios International banner at MIPCOM. Headlining the slate are the six-hour TV event Sons of Liberty and the ten-hour series Un-Real.
The line-up also features four original TV movies, Big Driver, from a story by Stephen King; Whitney, which chronicles the headline-making relationship between iconic singer, actress, producer and model Whitney Houston, and singer, songwriter Bobby Brown; and If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday, the final two installments of the V.C. Andrews book series that started with the acclaimed film, Flowers in the Attic.
Also being introduced are two projects currently in production, the fact-based TV event Gangland Undercover and The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, and two projects in development, The Liberator and Roots.
“Last year, A+E Networks announced the formation of A+E Studios to allow our company to take greater control of the scripted content commissioned for our domestic channels, History, A&E and Lifetime. The announcement generated tremendous interest from the media and clients,” said Cohan.
“The industry knows us as a source for high-end factual programming,” Cohan continued. “Now that we have ownership over these premium dramas, TV events and movies, it made sense to package and market our scripted content under a new umbrella brand.”
