Where's All That Money Going?

[Another Voice]

Where's All That Money Going?

I'm sure that everyone's seen where Disney's "booming" theme parks are going to be the financial savior for the company. So where's all this extra money going? To all those rumored new attractions? To returning the parks to normal operating hours? To installing working safety equipment so Big Thunder trains don't slam into each other?

Nope.

CHICAGO (thefutoncritic.com) -- ABC Family has scooped up the cable rights to the WB's "Smallville" in a deal valued north of $26.4 million, beating out competiting bids from Sci Fi Channel and Spike TV.

The cable channel will pay about $400,000 per episode for the series, slightly less than it shelled out for the off-network rights to "Gilmore Girls" ($425,000 per episode) back in January 2003. Distributor Warner Bros. Television is also expected to sell a weekend play of "Smallville" to local stations across the country beginning in the fall of 2005.

In addition, ABC Family has snagged the cable rights to fellow WB series "The Jamie Kennedy Experiment" for about $200,000 per episode. Both "Smallville" and "Jamie Kennedy" are currently in their third seasons on the Frog.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Welcome back Voice!

 

[DisneyFan0304]

Sheesh -- every time you think there might be a glimmer of hope, they find a way to snuff it right out!!!!!

 

[KNWVIKING]

Gilmore Girls and Smallville are both very popular shows- better then most of the fare they have on Family now, ( don't know anything about JKE) . How good they'll do in reruns on Family is still to be determined, but I think it's a little early to believe this money is simply being wasted.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I think that the problem with this move is that the money is being spent to rest on OTHERS' creative achievements, rather than Disney creating something on their own.

 

[YoHo]

Originally posted by SnackyStacky
I think that the problem with this move is that the money is being spent to rest on OTHERS' creative achievements, rather than Disney creating something on their own.

Exactly, this is just something to fill the space between power rangers and rejected former Disney channel moives. It also helps break up the Whose line is it reruns. (do they still do those? I stopped watching)