Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Renews "TMZ" on the Fox Television Stations

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has renewed “TMZ” from Telepictures Productions through the 2010–2011 season on the Fox Television Stations, announced Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, and Frank Cicha, Senior Vice President of Programming, Fox Television Stations. The extension includes all of the owned-and-operated Fox affiliates, such as WNYW-TV (New York), KTTV-TV (Los Angeles) and WFLD-TV (Chicago).

In making the announcement, Werner stated, “We are thrilled to announce the renewal of ’TMZ’ and to continue our partnership with Fox on this game-changing show. ’TMZ’ has managed to do what few new shows have done over the last few years: create a unique viewer experience and deliver ratings. The success is due to having identified an underserved audience, delivering a superior series that satisfies the audience’s appetite, and then partnering with stations to market it in a strategic multiplatform manner. We are pleased with the results of this collaboration and congratulate the Fox Television Stations, our other station partners and, most importantly, our creative dream team of Harvey Levin, Jim Paratore and Hilary Estey McLoughlin.”

Currently in its second season, “TMZ” ranks #2 among all entertainment magazines for the season to date among Adults 18–49, Women 18–49 and Adults 25–54. Additionally, “TMZ” is also the only magazine program in syndication to show year-to-year gains in Households and all key Women demos. It has also ranked as the #1 first-run syndicated magazine program on television for the last 32 weeks among Adults 18–34 and Men 18–34, and 31 out of the last 32 weeks among Women 18–34.

Cicha added, “This is an important extension for our group, as TMZ continues to emerge as a key first-run compliment to our overall news and information strategy on the Fox owned-and-operated stations.”

Hilary Estey McLoughlin, President, Telepictures Productions, commented, “The TMZ brand has translated perfectly to television and transformed the entertainment magazine genre, providing the audience with a fresh, humorous, unvarnished look at celebrities and how they live their lives. With ’TMZ’s’ ability to break stories with a distinctive point of view, and Harvey Levin and Jim Paratore’s leadership and compelling storytelling capabilities, we are thrilled to continue providing broadcasters with this truly breakthrough program that has resonated with the most sought after young Adult demographics.”

“TMZ” debuted in September 2007 with Fox serving as the primary station launch group and went on to become the highest-rated new first-run strip of the 2007–2008 season among Households and all key Women and Adult demographics. The program features several multiplatform elements for affiliates, including a branded module that resides on each station’s home page, creating a fully-integrated entertainment news destination that is continuously updated with information about stories featured daily on “TMZ.”

Season to date in 2008–2009, “TMZ” is averaging a 2.0 Household rating, up +11% from 1.8 through the same point last year. The show also posts a season-to-date 1.4 rating among Women 18–49, up +17% from 1.2 last year; a 1.4 rating among Women 25–54, up +17% from 1.2 last year; and a 1.4 rating among Women 18–34, up +27% from 1.1 last year. (Source: Live + SD AA Ratings, Premiere–11/18/07 vs. Premiere–11/16/08).

Originating from the heart of Hollywood on the famed Sunset Strip, “TMZ” brings the TMZ.com brand to television, expanding on the Web site’s mission as a 24-hour-per-day, seven-day-per-week entertainment news destination that goes where stars work, live and play to take viewers on a trip through a world where the reality is even more fascinating than the hype. Produced by Harvey Levin Productions, Inc. and paraMedia, inc. in association with Telepictures Productions, the series is distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. Harvey Levin and Jim Paratore are the program’s executive producers.

Since its launch in November 2005, TMZ.com – a joint venture between Telepictures Productions and AOL – has become the Internet’s number one entertainment news destination. TMZ.com is consistently credited with breaking stories dominating the entertainment news landscape and is one of the most cited entertainment news sources in the world.