WGN America has acquired the off-network cable rights to Person of Interest.
The cable network announced the pact with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution on Monday, signaling WGN’s first acquisition of an exclusive syndication window for a television series. Person of Interest, currently in its third season on CBS, will premiere on WGN in fall 2015.
“Person of Interest is a fantastic show with a top-notch creative team behind it, and we are excited to be the exclusive syndicated cable home for the show as we continue to transform WGN America into a destination for quality premium content,” said Matt Cherniss, president and general manager of WGN America and Tribune Studios.
“The new leadership of Tribune has made it clear they intend to transform WGN into a dominant player. All top entertainment cable services have at their core a strong foundation of acquired content and distinctive original series,” added Ken Werner, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.
Person of Interest, which moved from its 9 p.m. Thursday perch on the CBS schedule to 10 p.m. Tuesdays for season three, opened the current season to 12.4 million viewers in Live+SD. The hourlong drama, created by Jonathan Nolan, hails from J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot and stars Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Taraji P. Henson, Kevin Chapman, Sarah Shahi and Amy Acker.
WGN, the flagship station of the Tribune Broadcasting Company, is readying the premieres of two original series in 2014: Salem (second quarter) and Manhattan (summer). The network, available in 75 million homes, also airs movies and live sports.
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