MGM, New Line Television and Comedy Central(R) Announce U.S. Syndication of 'RENO 911!' and 'Chappelle's Show'

MGM, New Line Television and Comedy Central(R) Announce U.S. Syndication of 'RENO 911!' and 'Chappelle's Show'

MGM to Handle All Station and National Ad Sales for Fall 2007 Launch

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), New Line Television and Comedy Central announced today that two of the cable network's most popular shows, "RENO 911!" and "Chappelle's Show," will be the first programs to be syndicated by MGM under the new strategic relationship with New Line. Both series are available for syndication for fall of 2007, and MGM will handle all station and national ad sales.

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The announcement was made by Jim Packer, President, Worldwide Television Distribution, MGM, David Spiegelman, Senior Executive Vice President, Domestic Television Distribution and Marketing for New Line Television and Michele Ganeless, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Comedy Central. The syndication of "RENO 911!" and "Chappelle's Show" will be overseen by Packer and John Bryan, Executive Vice President, Broadcast Strategy, MGM.

"As we continue to expand our syndication ad sales business, it's exciting to bring the marketplace successful and high impact programs," said Packer. "Our dedicated team is looking forward to handling sales for 'RENO 911!' and 'Chappelle's Show,' two of Comedy Central's top rated series."

"We are thrilled to be working with Comedy Central on these two successful series," said Spiegelman. "There are tremendous opportunities for programs coming off cable, and along with our partners at MGM, we will continue to supply quality programs to the marketplace."

Comedy Central recently picked up "RENO 911!" for a fifth season on the network. The series has also been adapted into a feature film titled "RENO 911!: Miami," which is slated for a theatrical release in February 2007. Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" began airing in January 2003 and garnered significant accolades and impressive ratings. Season 2 of the series was the number one show in its slot in all of television among young men, 18-34.

"The heart and soul of the Comedy Central brand has been and will always be our original programming content. We have a deep library of award-winning programming that has the desired appeal to travel the world both in domestic and international syndication," said Ganeless. "'Chappelle's Show' and 'RENO 911!' are two prime examples, stalwarts that have proven themselves over time, especially among young men and we're very excited to offer these two outstanding series to the marketplace."

Bryan added, "There has been a steady decline of comedies produced for the broadcast networks in recent years and now cable is beginning to fill that void; we are thrilled to bring two of the most successful comedies in cable to broadcasters. With 'Chappelle's Show' reaching pop icon status and 'RENO 911!'s' unique ability to attract young male viewers, we're confident these shows will be a success for broadcasters around the country."

"RENO 911!" is a half-hour comedy created by and starring Robert Ben Garant, Kerri Kenney-Silver and Thomas Lennon as cops patrolling Reno, Nevada. The series, now in its fourth season, is a Jersey Television production in association with Comedy Central and is a hilarious take on the traditional cop drama with soap opera-like twists and turns. In its first two seasons, "RENO 911!" was paired with "South Park" in Comedy Central's primetime block and has since enjoyed a successful four season run on the cable network.

The Emmy(R) nominated "Chappelle's Show" takes comedian Dave Chappelle's own personal joke book and brings it to life, with episodes consisting of sketches, man-on-the-street pieces and pop culture parodies introduced by the comedian in a stand-up format in front of a studio audience. Chappelle's unique point-of-view on the world provides a hilarious, defiant and sometimes dangerous look at American culture, including music, movies, television, advertising, current events and everyday life situations. The original cable series, co-created and co-written by Neal Brennan (who previously collaborated with Chappelle on the classic comedy "Half Baked"), also features top musical guests, including well known hip-hop and R&B artists, performing at innovative locations such as rooftops, parks and piers. Additionally, the DVD set "Chappelle's Show Season One Uncensored!," is the best-selling DVD of a television show to date, selling over 3 million copies.

About Comedy Central

Comedy Central, television's only all-comedy network, is a 24-hour, advertiser-supported, basic cable comedy service available to over 90 million viewers nationwide and is the #1 network in primetime among men 18-24 as well as a consistent Top Ten-rated network among all adults 18-49. A leader in delivering content everywhere you need to be, Comedy Central has broken out of the traditional boundaries of the living room to offer cutting-edge originals both online, through the network's broadband channel at comedycentral.com, and on-the-go via arrangements with all the major wireless carriers. Hit series include "RENO 911!," "The Colbert Report," "Drawn Together," "Mind of Mencia," "Chappelle's Show" and, of course, the Peabody and Emmy-winning series "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "South Park." Comedy Central is owned by, and is a registered trademark of, Comedy Partners, a wholly-owned division of VIACOM Inc.'s (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B) MTV Networks. For more information visit Comedy Central's press-only Web site at www.comedycentral.com/press or the network's consumer site at www.comedycentral.com.

About New Line Television

New Line Television is a division of New Line Cinema (www.newline.com), the most successful independent film company in the world. The division develops, produces and distributes TV projects for the broadcast networks, cable and first-run syndication, as well as distributes New Line feature films across the television landscape. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, New Line Cinema has divisions devoted to home entertainment, music, theater, merchandising and international. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line's Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time Warner, Inc.

About Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., through its operating subsidiaries is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world's largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,000 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in international TV channels reaching nearly 110 countries. MGM ownership is as follows: Providence Equity Partners (29%), Texas Pacific Group (21%), Sony Corporation of America (20%), Comcast (20%), DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (7%) and Quadrangle Group (3%). For more information, visit www.mgm.com: www.mgm.com.

Contact: Jeff Pryor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
e. jpryor@mgm.com; o. 310-449-3446

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20011119/MGMLOGO
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Source: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.

CONTACT: Jeff Pryor of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.,
+1-310-449-3446, jpryor@mgm.com

Web site: http://www.mgm.com/

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