Criminal Minds: A&E Network has acquired exclusive cable rights to the hit CBS drama series Criminal Minds, officials said Thursday.
The acquisition from CBS Television Distribution gives A&E the exclusive cable rights to the critically acclaimed series beginning September 2009. And starting this May, A&E will run episodes from the first three seasons of the series once weekly before fully stripping the series in September 2009.
Deal terms weren’t disclosed.
“Criminal Minds is a strategic acquisition which will serve as an excellent promotional platform for A&E’s cable-leading portfolio of justice programming, as well as a perfect complement to the strong stable of high-quality, character-driven off-net dramas, including CSI: Miami and The Sopranos,” A&E executive vice president and general manager Bob DeBitetto said in a prepared statement. “The addition of this series comes at the perfect time, as we get ready to reintroduce original drama series to the network, beginning this summer.”
One of the top-rated crime dramas on broadcast television, Criminal Minds follows a team of FBI profilers who analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again.
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