Ryan Seacrest Joining Mark Cuban in AXS TV

by InvestorPlace Staff | January 19, 2012 2:45 pm

Goodbye, Girls Gone Wild.

Mark Cuban’s often hard-to-find HDNet is getting a major programming overhaul and distribution boost via a new deal spearheaded by Ryan Seacrest, says The Hollywood Reporter[1]. The rebranded channel will be called AXS TV (pronounced “access”) and will launch this summer.

Seacrest is a major partner in the deal, along with talent-agency behemoth CAA and music-venue owner and and tour promoter AEG. The channel adds to Seacrest’s burgeoning media empire, but the wildly popular reality-TV host will not appear on-camera.

Dan Rather Reports will remain from the old line-up, but much of HDNet’s male-focused fare will be replaced by live lifestyle, music and other pop-culture entertainment programming.

The new network will continue to be distributed by DirecTV (NASDAQ:DTV[2]), Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCSA[3]), Verizon (NYSE:VZ[4]), AT&T (NYSE:T[5]), Charter Communications (NASDAQ:CHTR[6]) and Dish Network (NASDAQ:DISH[7]). But Dish has agreed to expand its carriage, making AXS TV part of America’s Top 120 programming package as well as offering a wide selection of AXS-branded video-on-demand concerts and ticketing opportunities.

Get all the details at The Hollywood Reporter[8].

Endnotes:

says The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ryan-seacrest-tv-network-mark-cuban-283019
DTV: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=DTV
CMCSA: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=CMCSA
VZ: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=VZ
T: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=T
CHTR: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=CHTR
DISH: http://studio-5.financialcontent.com/investplace/quote?Symbol=DISH
The Hollywood Reporter: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ryan-seacrest-tv-network-mark-cuban-283019

Source URL: https://investorplace.com/2012/01/cubans-hdnet-becoming-axs-tv/