CBS Studios International Announces Licensing Agreement with WOWWOW in Japan

By: Feb. 13, 2017
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CBS Studios International announced today a multi-title content licensing agreement with Japan's leading premium pay TV provider, WOWOW. The agreement includes the first-window broadcast rights to the highly anticipated new TWIN PEAKS; the #1 new U.S. drama BULL, starring Michael Weatherly; and the murder-mystery series AMERICAN GOTHIC.

BULL, TWIN PEAKS and AMERICAN GOTHIC will be shown on WOWOW's Prime channel, joining other Showtime and CBS programming, including the critically-acclaimed THE AFFAIR, the event series ZOO and the modern-day SHERLOCK Holmes drama, ELEMENTARY.

"The series in this agreement represent the strength and variety of CBS and Showtime programming available to broadcasters around the world," said Barry Chamberlain, President of Sales, CBS Studios International. "We are thrilled to have expanded our portfolio of programming with WOWOW, bringing more of our compelling and creative storytelling to audiences across Japan."

Hitoshi Yamamoto, General Manager, Programming Division at WOWOW said, "For the millions of WOWOW subscribers who have been watching the company's programming since its launch 25 years ago, the new TWIN PEAKS will reignite great memories of the original 'Twin Peaks' series that was part of WOWOW's original lineup and helped audiences identify WOWOW as a destination for the highest quality entertainment, due to its tremendous popularity. We know that the latest iteration of TWIN PEAKS will captivate and delight an even larger WOWOW audience today, and we are delighted to expand a great partnership with CBS Studios International, whose American television series are amongst the most popular and highly regarded in the world."

Directed entirely by David Lynch, TWIN PEAKS, the new Showtime 18-part series, picks up 25 years after the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town were stunned by the shocking murder of their homecoming queen, Laura Palmer.

TWIN PEAKS is written and executive produced by series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost, and is executive produced by Sabrina S. Sutherland.

BULL, the #1 new program of the season in the U.S., is averaging 16.0m million viewers, 2.3/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.4/10 in adults 25-54. With live plus 7-day lift, BULL's premiere delivered 20.5 million viewers. BULL is the #2 broadcast drama (behind NCIS).

The new series stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of DR. PHIL McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. They include his quick-witted former brother-in-law, Benny Colón (Freddy Rodriguez), a lawyer who acts as defense attorney in the company's mock trials; Marissa Morgan (Geneva Carr), a cutting-edge neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James (Jaime Lee Kirchner), the firm's tough but relatable investigator; haughty millennial hacker Cable McCrory (Annabelle Attanasio), who is responsible for gathering cyber intelligence; and Chunk Palmer (Chris Jackson), a fashion-conscious stylist and former All-American lineman who fine-tunes clients' appearances for trial. In high-stakes trials, Bull's combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.'s and a top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients' favor.

BULL is produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Amblin Television and Stage 29 Productions and is distributed internationally by CBS Studios International, with Mark Goffman, Paul Attanasio, DR. PHIL McGraw, Steven Spielberg, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Jay McGraw and Rodrigo Garcia (pilot only) serving as executive producers.

AMERICAN GOTHIC centers on a prominent Boston family reeling in the wake of the chilling discovery that someone in their midst is linked to an infamous string of murders. As shocking secrets from the past and present are revealed, their mounting SUSPICION and paranoia that one of them is a killer threatens to tear THE FAMILY apart.

AMERICAN GOTHIC is executive produced by Corinne Brinkerhoff, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, James Frey and Todd Cohen, produced by CBS Television Studios and distributed internationally by CBS Studios International.

About CBS Studios International

CBS Studios International is the leading supplier of programming to the international television marketplace, licensing to more than 200 markets in more than 60 languages across multiple media platforms. The Studio participates in international channel ventures, currently comprised of 18 channels in 24 languages across over 100 territories, reaching more than 70 million households worldwide. CBS Studios International also exports a diverse lineup of formats for local production around the world. The division distributes content from CBS Television Studios, CBS Television Distribution, Showtime, CBS News, CBS Films and a library of more than 70,000 hours of programming. CBS Studios International is a division of CBS Corporation.

About WOWOW

WOWOW is Japan's leading premium pay TV broadcaster with approximately 2.8 million subscribers and the first 24/7, 3 channel, full-HD broadcaster in Japan. With a focus on quality entertainment and exceptional customer service, WOWOW has seen nine years of continuous net growth in subscribers. As of July 2011, all of the company's subscribers are now on a digital subscription, which includes access to WOWOW's groundbreaking Members On Demand service.

Listed in the First Section of the Tokyo Stock exchange, WOWOW's subscription offering includes 3 premium Full-HD channels and a streaming service:

WOWOW Prime covers a wide range of genres, including 7 popular overseas TV drama series per week along with our original series, movies, and documentaries. WOWOW Prime is also the official channel for live broadcasts in Japan of the biggest entertainment award shows in each category - the Oscars® (movies), the Grammys® (music) and the Tony Awards® (Broadway / stage).

WOWOW Live brings exclusive live broadcasts of the world's greatest sports events along with live concerts and stage performances. Sports featured on WOWOW Live include the NBA, La Liga Española, LPGA, and more. Additionally, WOWOW Live broadcasts all four tennis Grand Slam Championships including the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.

WOWOW Cinema carries titles from major studios and a lineup of approximately 1400 movie titles from all over the world. WOWOW Cinema provides an experience to the world of cinema through a selective collection of movies.

WOWOW Members On Demand offers subscribers the ability to view our quality programming anywhere and anytime. The streaming service features live events and sports as well as popular series and movies

WOWOW aspires to become a channel where viewers can always encounter something they had never experienced, and by doing so transform the role of television from something that is viewed passively, to a place where new and exciting encounters can be expected.



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