According to the Hollywood Reporter, dynamic power couple, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, husband and wife team, along with MGM, are launching the first 24-hour, seven-day-a-week faith and family network in December.
Downey, well known for the Touched by an Angel TV series, and Burnett, the award-winning producer of some of the highest-rating reality TV shows in history–including Survivor, The Voice, Celebrity Apprentice, and Shark Tank, have also been executive producers for groundbreaking faith-based television programs, such as The Bible miniseries and A.D. the Bible Continues. In addition, this talented couple has served as producers of the inspiring and beloved featured films Woodlawn, Little Boy, and most recently, the 2016 remake of Ben-Hur.
Regarding this exciting new venture, Roma Downey said, “This is the beginning of our new, multiplatform faith and family network, where the demand is greater than ever for family-friendly entertainment. This is the last unclaimed vertical.
As we have already seen from the success of The Bible series and our 20 million social followers, this audience is looking for inspiring and uplifting programming that they can watch in a trusted and safe environment on any platform.”
Mark Burnett added, “With the combined experience of myself and Roma, plus MGM’s family-friendly library, Light TV will become an ideal platform to reach the enormously, underserved family audience.”
Light TV partner will partner with Fox stations and affiliates in top markets: Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Orlando, Phoenix, Minneapolis and Charlotte.
This is the first, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week network. Their programming will utilize MGM’s film and TV library, and will include family-friendly MGM films: Rocky, Hoosiers, Red River, Little Man Tate, The Nutcracker, Lilies of the Field, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Black Stallion, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Pink Panther, Fame and Mr. Mom, and TV series such as Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, Highway to Heaven, and Heartland.
“MGM continues to build on our strategy as a multicast network leader by adding Light TV to our group of networks,” said MGM Domestic Television Distribution president John Bryan. “We’re excited to partner with Fox and deliver positive, uplifting and free entertainment to families everywhere.”
According to Deadline Hollywood, “Plans for the channel were reported about a year ago when the studio agreed to buy the 45% stake it didn’t own in its United Artists Media Group joint venture from Downey, Burnett and Hearst, and then named Burnett as president of its Television and Digital Group.
The venture, which will also develop original programming, now has a name and a plan…MGM currently offers several branded channels in the U.S., including MGM HD (which is currently carried in the U.S. by many of the leading cable satellite and telephone company distribs) and THIS TV…”
Light TV will join other family-friendly cable networks such as Up and Hallmark Channel. Mark Burnett is president of MGM Television and Digital. Roma Downey is president of LightWorkers Media, a division of MGM.
HOLLYWOOD, CA – AUGUST 16: Producer Mark Burnett (L) and executive producer Roma Downey attend the LA Premiere of the Paramount Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures title ìBen-Hurî, at the TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on August 16, 2016 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images For Paramount Pictures)
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