Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. has become the official cable partner of Star Wars.
The company — which owns TNT and TBS — has netted a major deal with Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) to premiere Star Wars: The Force Awakens on one of its channels. The film made its pay-for cable debut Sept. 10 on Starz, and it will come to TNT in 2018.
Under the deal, Turner has also garnered the rights to broadcast five of the six original Star Wars films, ranging from The Empire Strikes Back to Return of the Sith. The first movie in the series will also be granted to the company under a separate deal.
In order to celebrate the monumental deal, TNT will air all six original films in order on Sept. 20, beginning with the first movie released and going in order of release rather than chronological order.
Another big win for Turner is that the deal will give it cable broadcasting rights to all four upcoming Star Wars films, including the spinoff Rogue One in 2019. The three subsequent movies in the series will be aired over the next several years.
“Through this deal, TNT and TBS will be the exclusive basic cable home of one of the most iconic, enduring and valuable movie franchises of all time, giving viewers the chance to watch this amazing collection from the very beginning,” Turner EVP of networks optimization, content strategy and commercialization Deborah K. Bradley said.
DIS stock is down 0.3% Wednesday.
