Betting big on the staying power of the “Star Wars” film franchise, Turner television networks have claimed the rights to run the iconic film franchise on cable channels TNT and TBS.
The multiyear deal, announced Wednesday, steers all 11 of the “Star Wars” movies, including last year’s blockbuster, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” onto the Turner channels.
Turner, a division of media giant Time Warner Inc., also captured the ad-supported TV rights to the upcoming installment, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” which hits theaters in December.
Turner has been laser focused on making its channels more valuable to consumers and pay-TV distributors by developing new original dramas and comedies. The network group hopes to remain relevant amid dramatic shifts in viewer behavior. However, the licensing deal for “Star Wars” with Walt Disney Co., and a separate arrangement with 20th Century Fox, underscores how cable channels like TNT and TBS continue to depend heavily on Hollywood blockbusters to bolster their viewership.
Turner said TNT and TBS will be the exclusive home to the various installments of the franchise among ad-supported TV networks. Its agreement with Disney covers 10 of the movies, including five of the six original “Star Wars” installments. Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012 for $4 billion.
The company separately secured the rights to the first installment, “Star Wars: A New Hope” from 20th Century Fox, which long ago cemented a deal with George Lucas that gave Fox a suite of rights to the original 1977 film in perpetuity.
“The ‘Star Wars’ movies and characters are beloved across generations, captivating audiences and breaking box-office records around the globe for nearly four decades,” said Deborah K. Bradley, Turner’s executive vice president of networks optimization.
TNT plans to televise six consecutive nights of the initial installments beginning Sept. 20. The movies also will be shown on Turner channels in December to help promote the Dec. 16 release of “Rogue One.”
Turner also will host the network TV premieres of the next three “Star Wars” movies.
