MEDIA RELEASE: TEGNA Partners with Dan Abrams’ Law&Crime Productions and Cineflix Rights to Produce Up to 250 True Crime and Investigative Originals for the Worldwide Market
Tysons, Va. – TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today announced a multi-year partnership with Law&Crime Productions, a leading production company founded by Dan Abrams, and Cineflix Rights, the UK’s largest independent TV content distributor, to co-produce original docuseries leveraging TEGNA stations’ vast library of true crime and investigative content for a worldwide market. TEGNA’s VAULT Studios, Law&Crime Productions and Cineflix Rights will launch the partnership with the production of 50 hour-long episodes, starting with the new series “Cult Justice.”
“The partnership with Law&Crime and Cineflix Rights solidifies TEGNA’s position as a player in original true crime programming,” said Brian Weiss, vice president, entertainment programming and multicast networks, TEGNA. “Along with the success of True Crime Network, the growth of VAULT Studios, and a treasure trove of stories in our expansive content library, this deal reinforces our role as a future leader in the unscripted entertainment content space.”
“Law&Crime’s team of experienced legal and crime producers is excited to take a deep dive into TEGNA’s extensive and unique library of true crime and investigative footage,” said Rachel Stockman, president of Law&Crime Productions. “We are thrilled to partner with TEGNA and Cineflix Rights in this first of its kind deal that gives us access to thousands of impactful stories in markets all around America.”
“We are delighted to be able to build on our strong global partnership established with TEGNA and Law&Crime over two seasons of the global hit series ‘Killer Cases’ and look forward to bringing their exciting new crime and investigative content to our global buyers,” said Richard Life, head of acquisitions at Cineflix Rights, which will act as the exclusive global distributor for the new series produced by Law&Crime Productions.
Ten-episode series “Cult Justice” examines the allure and power of cults. Every episode will tell the story of how law enforcement sought justice against different cult leaders through narratives from the survivors and police, accompanied by rare photos and videos. Sample episodes are “ripped-from-the-headlines,” such as the NXIVM sex cult and The Family, a present-day iteration of the well-known Children of God cult.
“Cult Justice” will be led by executive producers, showrunners and Emmy® and Peabody award-winning journalists Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz, who will also lead all 50 true crime episodes. Abrams, Stockman, John Ford, head of programming for TEGNA’s Quest and True Crime Network, and Felicia Litovitz, vice president, acquisitions, North America for Cineflix Rights, will also serve as executive producers on the shows.
TEGNA’s VAULT Studios and Law&Crime Productions also intend to collaborate on the production of a podcast series based on the hit series “Killer Cases,” which currently airs on A&E and True Crime Network, further expanding the series’ multi-platform presence.
About Law&Crime Productions
Law&Crime Productions was founded by award winning ABC News Chief Legal Correspondent Dan Abrams. Abrams is also the host of SiriusXM’s The Dan Abrams Show: Where Politics Meets the Law and the former host of the #1 show on weekend primetime cable Live PD on A+E. Tapping into a talent pool of crime producers, lawyers, former prosecutors and law enforcement officers, Law&Crime Productions has unique and unprecedented access to key sources. Whether scripted, unscripted, or for digital, we create compelling programming with top ratings and millions of views without sacrificing our commitment to accuracy and exceptional understanding of crime and the law.
About VAULT Studios
VAULT Studios is an in-house production and distribution studio that combines TEGNA’s vast archive of investigative reporting with modern digital storytelling to develop new, original, cross-platform content offerings. Created in 2019, VAULT’s initial slate of programming focuses on true crime, cold cases and unsolved mysteries from TEGNA’s 64 television stations in 51 markets. VAULT’s offerings are distributed on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, and on TEGNA’s owned-and-operated digital platforms.
About TEGNA
TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network, Twist and Quest. TEGNA offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA’s OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.
About Cineflix Rights
Cineflix Rights is the UK’s largest independent TV content distributor, providing premium programming from leading international producers to more than 500 broadcasters and platforms worldwide. Our diverse catalogue spans the full range of factual genres, as well as scripted series and formats. Established in 2002, Cineflix Rights is based in London and part of the Cineflix Media group of companies.
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For TEGNA media inquiries, contact:
Anne Bentley
Vice President, Corporate Communications
703-873-6366
abentley@TEGNA.com
For TEGNA investor inquiries, contact:
Doug Kuckelman
Head of Investor Relations
703-873-6764
dkuckelman@TEGNA.com
For Law&Crime media inquiries, contact:
Cameron Gurley
Senior Media Strategist
646-660-8642
cameron@goldin.com
For Cineflix Rights media inquiries, contact:
Mark Ogle
OH Communications
+44 (0) 7789 981561
mark@ohcommunications.co.uk