ION TV Acquires Syndication Rights to CBS's BLUE BLOODS

ION Television today announced the acquisition of the popular procedural police series "Blue Bloods," reinforcing the network's commitment to offer high-caliber general entertainment programming. The content deal with CBS includes all four seasons (89 episodes) of the series, plus future seasons that air on CBS. The agreement gives ION the exclusive weekday Primetime rights to "Blue Bloods" in syndication starting fall 2014.

The announcement comes in the midst of the highly successful fourth season of "Blue Bloods" on CBS. This season, "Blue Bloods" is averaging 14 million viewers, up +7% from last year. Over the past four seasons, the series has ranked #1 in its time period among adults 25-54 and has been Friday's most watched program.

"Blue Bloods" joins "Criminal Minds" on the ION Television schedule this fall, giving the network two of the five most-watched U.S. drama series, both in original production and enjoying strong ratings on CBS. Featuring an all-star cast - including Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes - "Blue Bloods" tells the stories of a New York law enforcement family, providing a strong creative and demographic fit for ION's audiences and advertisers.

"We've built a solid partnership with CBS over the past several years and look forward to expanding this relationship with 'Blue Bloods,'" said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. "The quality, brand equity and consumer following of CBS dramas is a valuable element in our strategy of serving our loyal and growing audiences with high-quality procedural dramas."

"'Blue Bloods' has been a tower of ratings strength and success on CBS for four years and its audience is growing this season," said Scott Koondel, Chief Corporate Content Licensing Officer for CBS Corporation. "The show's pedigree of quality and performance is a terrific match with ION Television's line-up of successful dramas."

"Blue Bloods" is a police drama about a multi-generational family of Cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the New York Police Commissioner and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry (Len Cariou), during his stint as Chief. A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a seasoned detective, family man and Iraq War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases. Frank's daughter, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), a N.Y. Assistant D.A., also serves as the legal compass for her family. Jamie (Will Estes), the youngest Reagan, is a recent grad of Harvard Law and the family's "Golden Boy." Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie has decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop.

"Blue Bloods" was created by Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green, and is produced by CBS Television Studios. It is executive produced by Leonard Goldberg and Kevin Wade.

"Blue Bloods" joins ION's portfolio of acclaimed off-network series, including viewer favorites "Criminal Minds," "Cold Case" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," as well as off-cable dramas, "Burn Notice," "Psych" and "Leverage."

Source: Nielsen most current, 9/20/10-1/17/14; P2+ P25-54 Total Impressions

About ION Television

A leading U.S. general entertainment network, ION Television combines high-quality programming and dependable distribution with an attitude of innovation and growth. Its "Positively Entertaining" network brand positioning features a formula of proven series, an expansive catalog of blockbuster movies and a commitment to introduce new original programming. ION Television has grown its Adults 25-54 audience by 69% since launching just six years ago and has consistently remained among the top 15 entertainment networks. For more information, visit www.iontelevision.com.

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