Long-time SVOD Partner Hulu Continues to Stream All
"Nashville" Episodes Day after Initial Air
NASHVILLE, Tenn. and
SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Nashies
rejoice! On the heels of tremendous outcry from legions of devoted
fans, CMT, Hulu, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) and ABC Studios today
announced that the critically acclaimed and fan darling series
"Nashville" will return with a
brand new season on CMT. Long-time SVOD partner Hulu will
continue to bring fans their favorite series 24/7 by making all
"Nashville" episodes available to
stream the day after they air on CMT.
![Courtesy of Lionsgate. (PRNewsFoto/Lionsgate) Courtesy of Lionsgate. (PRNewsFoto/Lionsgate)](https://photos.prnewswire.com/prnvar/20130919/LA83194LOGO)
The series is produced by Lionsgate, ABC Studios, and Opry
Entertainment. Production will commence in Nashville with Ed
Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz
(the creators of "Thirtysomething") at the helm. The
deal, negotiated by Lionsgate Television Group President
Sandra Stern on behalf of Lionsgate
and ABC Studios, Sarah Levy of
Viacom Kids and Family Group on behalf of CMT, and Hulu executives,
is an orchestrated initiative to ensure that "Nashville" fans will continue to have the same
level of access to their favorite show.
"CMT heard the fans. The wave of love and appreciation they have
unleashed for 'Nashville' has been
overwhelming," said Brian Philips,
President of CMT. "'Nashville' is
a perfect addition to our evolving line-up of big music
specials, documentaries, and original series. We see our fans and
ourselves in this show and we will treasure it like no other
network. Nashville belongs on CMT."
"'Nashville' has long been a
fan favorite show on Hulu and we are so proud to continue to make
new episodes available for fans to stream the day after they air,"
said Craig Erwich, SVP and Head of
Content, Hulu. "We look forward to bringing even more episodes of
this acclaimed series to its passionate and devoted audience."
"CMT and Hulu are the perfect combination for our iconic and
beloved series 'Nashville' and we
want to thank the incredible fans for their unwavering
support—#Nashies, you helped make this possible," said Kevin Beggs, Chairman of the Lionsgate
Television Group. "We also want to extend our appreciation to the
State of Tennessee, City of Nashville, and Ryman Hospitality for
their unending support. They have been a key ingredient to
the continued success of this show and we're thrilled to extend our
partnership for a fifth season."
"We always had faith that we would find a way to bring
'Nashville' back to its devoted
fans, and we're very proud to be in partnership with CMT and Hulu
to extend the life of this series," said Patrick Moran, Executive Vice President, ABC
Studios.
The recently wrapped fourth season of "Nashville" attracted more than 8 million
weekly viewers across all platforms and ranks as one of
television's most DVR'd series. The series is particularly
strong with women 18-34. Out of more than 180 broadcast
dramas since Fall 2012, "Nashville" ranks in the top 20.
The series airs in 82 international markets on six continents.
Since its debut, the show has inspired 10 soundtracks,
including a Christmas album, which have collectively sold more than
one million album units and over 5 million single-track downloads
to date. It has also been nominated for multiple Emmy, Golden
Globe and Critics Choice awards.
"Nashville" is set against the
backdrop of the city's music scene and follows Rayna Jaymes and Juliette Barnes. Both women face personal and
professional challenges as they navigate their paths as artists and
individuals. Surrounding them and often complicating their lives
are their family, friends and, in some cases, lovers, as well as
the up-and-coming performers and songwriters trying to get ahead in
the business. Music City can mean so many things to different
people. In "Nashville," musicians
and songwriters are at the heart of the storm driven by their own
ambitions. Some are fueled by their creativity and passion for
fame. Others struggle to cope with the pressures of success and are
doing everything in their power to stay on top.
About CMT
CMT, a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), is the leading
television and digital authority on country music and
entertainment, reaching more than 92 million homes in the U.S. CMT,
CMT.com and CMT Radio offer an unparalleled mix of music, news,
live concerts and series and are the top resource for country music
on demand. The network's digital platforms include the 24-hour
music channel, CMT Pure Country, CMT Mobile and CMT VOD.
About Hulu
Hulu is a premium streaming TV destination that offers
hundreds of thousands of hours of the best of current season
programming, premium original content, films and full seasons of
hit series to subscribers with limited commercials for $7.99 per month or commercial free for
$11.99 per month. Hulu is the only
streaming subscription service that offers current season content
from 5 of the 6 largest U.S. broadcast networks, as well as
acclaimed Hulu Originals including The Mindy Project, The
Path, 11.22.63, Difficult People and the Golden Globe®
nominated comedy series, Casual. Since its launch in
2008, Hulu has been at the forefront of entertainment and
technology and continues to redefine TV by connecting viewers with
the stories they love.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader
with a diversified presence in motion picture production and
distribution, television programming and syndication, home
entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded
channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and
location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80
television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime
production, distribution and syndication businesses. These
include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New
Black, the drama series Nashville, the syndication successes
The Wendy Williams Show and Celebrity Name Game (with
FremantleMedia), the breakout series The Royals and the
Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual.
About ABC Studios
ABC Studios is a leader in the development, production and
strategic distribution of entertainment content
across broadcast, cable and on demand
platforms. The studio is the key content provider for
the ABC Entertainment Group, having produced multiple seasons of
hit series, including current shows "American Crime,"
"black-ish," "Quantico," "Grey's Anatomy," "How to Get
Away with Murder," "The Real O'Neals," "Marvel's Agents of
"S.H.I.E.L.D.," "Mistresses," "Once Upon a Time," "Scandal" and
"Secrets and Lies" for ABC; "Criminal Minds," "Criminal Minds:
Beyond Borders" and "Code Black" for CBS and "Devious Maids" for
Lifetime.
About Opry Entertainment
Opry Entertainment(r), a division of Ryman Hospitality
Properties (NYSE: RHP), is a producer of multi-media entertainment
experiences with primary interests in location-based entertainment
and television and stage production. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, its core business
segments include the world-famous Grand Ole Opry(r), the historic
Ryman Auditorium(r), and legendary radio station 650
AM-WSM.
PRESS CONTACTS:
Kurt Patat for CMT
(310) 752-8828
(917) 704-2257 (mobile)
Kurt.Patat@cmt.com
Alexandra Finegersh for Hulu
(424) 273-8120
Alex.Finegersh@hulu.com
Joanna Dodd Massey for
Lionsgate
(310) 255-3602
JMassey@Lionsgate.com
Janet Daily for ABC Studios
(818) 460-6456
Janet.k.daily@abc.com
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SOURCE Lionsgate