Warner Bros. Television Group

Warner Bros. Television Group

The Warner Bros. Television Group oversees the entire portfolio of Warner Bros. television businesses, including worldwide production, traditional and digital distribution as-well-as broadcasting. It is divided into two category-leading distribution units: Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, which are responsible for distributing the Warner Bros. Entertainment content to television outlets around the world. As one of the WBTVG’ s missions is to be an innovative leader in developing new business models for all emerging digital and future platforms in the entertainment industry, it is not only committed to creating, producing and distributing content across traditional platforms, but also across new potential marketplaces. Such new business models include ad-supported video-on-demand or as-well broadband and wireless destinations featuring original content produced by WBTVG.

An important aspect to WB media sales opportunities is the fact that Warner Bros. Entertainment is partner with CBS in The CW Television Network. The CW, being the US’ only network targeted to the 18-34 audience since its successful launch in September 2006, represents WBTVG’ final component: broadcasting.

In order to facilitate the managing of the WB’s vast portfolio, the group is split into 8 smaller divisions: Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Horizon Television, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, Studio 2.0 and The CW Television Network.

Warner Bros. Television stands for quality primetime series, telefilms and miniseries since its founding in 1955. Ever since, it has been one of the entertainment industry’s most respected producers thanks to innovative programming and strong strategic connections. In the 2007/08 season for example, it produces more than 20 series, for cable’s FX, the TNT network and with at least one for each of the broadcast networks. In this way, it sets standards unreached by any other studio. Furthermore it is the number one supplier to The CW Television Network.

Telepictures Productions is an industry- leading producer of syndicated programming, having been honoured with 49 Daytime Emmy Awards thanks to its outstanding reality- based shows and talkshows, such as “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” or “The Tyra Banks Show”.

Warner Horizon Television belongs to the industry’s fastest- growing television companies. Since its inception in 2006, it has specialized in the creation of scripted series for the cable marketplace and also distributes primetime reality series for both network and cable. Moreover it is the WB’s creative platform for new options in the programming offerings. One of the WBHTV’s cashcows is the internationally famous reality hit franchise “The Bachelor”. In the current season (07/08) the 11th and 12t h instalments are already airing in the US.

Warner Bros. Animation represents one of the most honoured and internationally successful animation studios in the world, having won- among other important prizes- 34 Emmy Awards and being distributor to 175 countries around the world. Its huge library nowadays contains 14 000 animated episodes and shots, which air on domestic broadcast networks, cable and direct- to- video. An important year to this studio was 1996, when it succeeded in extending its product range by adopting popular classics from Hanna- Barbera, Ruby- Spears, shorts from the MGM library and Popeye cartoons. So the already established animation brands such as the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were joined by many more beloved characters. These provided brand equity, a huge customer base and more possibilities in merchandising, advertising and marketing.

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution is the leading distributor of entertainment programming within the US. Its marketplace includes local television stations, pay, cable, satellite and broadcast networks. It distributes series of nearly all the mentioned units,