POW! Entertainment Inks Deal with NBC Universal SCI FI for an Expanded Second Season of Who Wants to Be a Superhero?
Oct 17, 2006 9:45:00 AM
Copyright Business Wire 2006
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
POW! Entertainment (OTC:POWN) announced today that its critically praised hit reality series "Who Wants To Be a Superhero?" starring Stan Lee has been green lighted for a second expanded season by NBC Universal SCI FI Channel.
The SCI FI Channel announced the news and it simultaneously was released in both the Hollywood Reporter and the Daily Variety. SCI FI stated that not only did it pickup a second season of POW!'s co-produced reality series but they have expanded it from six to ten one-hour episodes.
Season one received a "Four Star" rating from People Magazine, graced the front page of USA Today, took the cover of Direct TV and was featured on the Tonight Show and the Today Show, along with numerous other positive reviews. The first season's ratings more than doubled the year-to-date time period average among viewers 18-34, increased the number of 18-49 viewers by +74%, and grew the 25-54 audience by +44%. With 30% of the audience under the age of 18, the median age of the show's audience was 31.9, 14 years younger than SCI FI's median primetime age. Overall, the show brought 2.9 million new viewers to the Channel.
"Who Wants to Be a Superhero? was a success for us on many levels last summer," SCI FI Executive VP, Original Programming Mark Stern said. "The show garnered great reviews, attracted a record-breaking number of younger viewers to the Channel and held its own against some very stiff competition on Thursday nights."
"After all these years as a writer, I never thought I'd be on the other side of the camera starring in a far-out TV series," said Stan Lee. "But, now that I've had a taste of it, there's no stoppin' me! The great guys at the SCI FI Channel have unleashed us to cook up ten new, wilder-than-ever episodes. So, Heroes, hang on to your Spandex, 'cause the best is yet to come!"
"The next season of Superhero promises to be even more exciting than the first. Expect bigger and more thrilling challenges, and more unexpected twists and turns this season," said Co-Executive Producer, Bruce Nash.
The series is co-produced by Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment in partnership with the SCI FI Channel US and Bruce Nash's Nash Entertainment. Stan Lee will be returning as the star of the show who presides over the contestants in a Donald Trump fashion, as the ultimate judge of superhero character. Under his watchful eye a chosen lucky few will compete in challenges that test their mettle and the virtues of a true superhero. The last season's winner is being immortalized in his very own comic book currently being created by Stan Lee.
NBC Universal's SCI FI Channel is a television network where "what if" is what's on. SCI FI fuels the imagination of viewers with original series and events, blockbuster movies and classic science fiction and fantasy programming, as well as a dynamic Web site (www.scifi.com) and in-depth magazine. Launched in 1992, and currently in 85 million homes, SCI FI Channel is a powerhouse in original dramatic series with its Friday night block of originals, Stargate SG1, Stargate Atlantis, and the Peabody Award-winning program from NBC Universal Television Studios, Battlestar Galactica. Additionally, the channel is known for Emmy Award-winning miniseries and an eclectic slate of "alternative reality" programs such as Ghost Hunters.
Bruce Nash and his eponymous production company has become an idea factory for both film and television projects alike. Nash is well known for his trendsetting ideas and ability to translate them into successful projects, and Nash Entertainment is quickly developing an aggressive feature film slate, including "Time of Their Lives" with producer Scott Stuber for Universal, "The Fritz Pollard Story" (with Don Cheadle attached as a producer), "To Wally Ward," a baseball-themed drama written by Angelo Pizzo ("Hoosiers" and "Rudy"), "Falling Awake" (with director Jon Chu attached), "Sherlock's Secretary" (with director Mark Dindal attached) at Walden Media, and the animated feature "Santa Paws" at Vanguard Films. Nash Entertainment is also producing the highly-anticipated new Court TV series "Most Shocking" which premieres October 4 and other television projects include "Spike's Most Amazing Videos" and "The Greatest Sports Stories Never Told" for Fox Sports Net. Nash Entertainment has also been responsible for some of NBC's biggest reality hits including the first two seasons of "For Love or Money," the premiere season of "Who Wants To Marry My Dad?" and "Meet My Folks."
Stan Lee, world famous comic book and motion picture icon, founded POW! (Purveyors of Wonder) Entertainment Inc. (POWN.PK), an advanced media and entertainment company, together with award winning producer Gill Champion and acclaimed intellectual property specialist Arthur Lieberman, Esq. POW!'s principals extensive backgrounds encompass the creation, production and licensing of original intellectual properties including some of the most successful entertainment franchises of all time (i.e. some of Stan Lee's co-created characters, like Spider-Man(1), Fantastic Four(1), The Hulk(1), Daredevil(1) and X-Men(1) dominated the comic book genre and transcended to the big screen breaking all time box office records and grossing billions of dollars in revenues). Capitalizing on this combined expertise, POW! partners with individuals and entities of entertainment's top echelon including studios and networks in the creation, licensing and distribution of new POW! character franchises including animation and live-action feature films, plus television, DVDs, mobisodes, video games, merchandising and related ancillary markets all of which contribute to POW's global expansion. www.powentertainment.com .
(1) These are registered trademarks and characters of Marvel Characters, Inc.
Source: POW! Entertainment Inc.
