Katz Broadcasting said today that its Escape network is branching into original programming with a brace of true-crime series and has acquired two other similarly themed programs. The company also has a deal with the Nielsen Co. for Escape and its sibling net Grit to be rated C3 nationally.
Katz also said that Elverge Allen, EVP Ad Sales at its sister company Bounce, now also will lead ad sales for Grit and Escape. “Elverage and his team very successfully educated advertisers about the tremendous reach of Bounce and the powerful brand it has become,” said Jonathan Katz, President and CEO of Katz Broadcasting. “They are well-positioned to do the same for Grit and Escape.”
Meanwhile, Escape has acquired rights to CNBC’s white-collar crime series American Greed and Bellum Entertainment’s Corrupt Crimes. In partnership with indie production and distribution company Bellum, Escape is prepping to launch production on five true-crime series totaling 400-plus episodes. They are:
Lady Killers, which investigates cases of women who murder someone they intimately know. Behavioral experts and psychologists tell the story of how these loving relationships turned lethal.
Murderous Affairs, which explores love affairs gone wrong and spouses driven to kill; stories that give a whole new meaning to the vow, “till death do us part.” Every case features actual evidence, reenactments, and news footage of these lethal love affairs.
It Takes a Killer, which looks at the world’s most notorious murders and takes viewers inside the minds and motives of the killers who committed them, led by experts from the FBI and leading homicide investigators.
Deep Under Cover, which goes around the world for the stories of real-life undercover operations, hosted by Joe Pistone, the undercover FBI agent whose story was told in the motion picture Donnie Brasco.
They Kill for It, which covers killings ranging from crimes of passion to carefully planned murders. Each episode covers one shocking murder case fueled by jealousy involving spouses, lovers, co-workers, family members, friends and neighbors.
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