EXTANT and PENNY DREADFUL to Air in Japan on WOWOW Next Year

By: Nov. 11, 2014
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Tokyo, Japan -- CBS Studios International and Japan's premium pay TV provider, WOWOW, announced today that the event series EXTANT, starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry and produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television, and the Showtime psychological thriller PENNY DREADFUL, will premiere exclusively in Japan on WOWOW in 2015.

The deal includes the broadcast and catch-up rights for EXTANT, and the broadcast and SVOD rights for PENNY DREADFUL. Both series will be shown on WOWOW's Prime channel, which also broadcasts CBS's global phenomenon, CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION, the SHERLOCK Homes-based crime drama series ELEMENTARY and the critically acclaimed Showtime series, NURSE JACKIE.

"There has been terrific buzz for both PENNY DREADFUL and EXTANT around the world," said Armando Nuñez, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS Global Distribution Group. "We are thrilled to be working with WOWOW to bring such addictive and creative storytelling to Japanese audiences in 2015."

Tetsuya Nasuno, General Manager of WOWOW's Production division commented, "We are extremely delighted to continue our partnership with CBS Studios International with the recent acquisitions of EXTANT and PENNY DREADFUL."

Nasuno added, "Since its launch, WOWOW has built its reputation as the premiere home for major Hollywood content. On the series front, US TV series, as well as our original drama slates, have been an essential and integral part of our programming strategies and have sustained popularity amongst our subscribers. We have no doubt that this trend will continue with EXTANT and PENNY DREADFUL. With the impressive cast and crew comprised of Hollywood's A-list stars, we are sure that both series will be a great success in Japan."

"We are especially excited about EXTANT, which features the prominent and well-respected Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada. WOWOW plans to conduct an expansive media campaign by leveraging his popularity in Japan and by enlisting his presence to create a huge buzz."

EXTANT, which has recently been picked up for a second season in the US, is a 13-episode serialized drama about an astronaut trying to reconnect with her family after returning from a year in outer space. Her mystifying experiences in space lead to events that will ultimately change the course of human history. The series stars Halle Berry, Goran Visnjic, Pierce Gagnon, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael O'Neill, Camryn Manheim and Grace Gummer. It is a co-production of CBS Television Studios and Amblin Television with executive producers Steven Spielberg, Greg Walker, Mickey Fisher, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank and Brooklyn Weaver. It is distributed internationally by CBS Studios International.

In PENNY DREADFUL, some of literature's most famous characters -- including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray and iconic figures from the novel Dracula, all brilliantly reimagined in a whole new light -- have become embroiled in Victorian London. The series stars Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down), Eva Green (Casino Royale), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, License to Kill), Reeve Carney (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark), Rory Kinnear (Skyfall), Harry Treadaway (The Lone Ranger), Billie Piper (Doctor Who, Secret Diary of a Call Girl) and Danny Sapani (The Bill). PENNY DREADFUL is a drama series created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar nominee John Logan (Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator) and executive produced by Logan's Desert Wolf Productions, along with Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) and Pippa Harris (Revolutionary Road, Call The Midwife), both of Neal Street. The series, a co-production of Sky Atlantic, has been picked up for a second season, which will shoot in Dublin, Ireland for a 2015 premiere on the network. It is distributed internationally by CBS Studios International.

About WOWOW - WOWOW is Japan's leading premium pay TV broadcaster with over 2.7 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 eight 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 offering includes 3 premium Full-HD channels and a subscription streaming service:

WOWOW Prime covers a wide range of genres, including 7 popular overseas TV series per week along with our original series, movies, and documentaries. WOWOW Prime is also the official channel for the live broadcasts of both the Oscars and the GRAMMY AWARDS in Japan.

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, UFC, and more.

WOWOW Cinema carries titles from all 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.


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