MUMBAI: The Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) has signed a deal to acquire Alloy Entertainment from an investor group led by ZelnickMedia co-founder Strauss Zelnick.

The deal brings together the industry?s leading television production company in WBTVG with the leading producer of youth-oriented content for all media in Alloy Entertainment.
The closing of the transaction is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur in the third calendar quarter. Even though the financials were not disclosed, the value is estimated to be in the region of $100 million.

Leslie Morgenstein, who has served as president of Alloy Entertainment and its predecessor, 17th Street Productions, Inc, since 1999 overseeing the company?s operations, strategy and creative mission, will stay on to run the company within WBTVG.

Alloy Entertainment and WBTVG have already collaborated for TV shows and movies with five of Alloy Entertainment?s properties (Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, Pretty Little Liars, Lying Game and the upcoming 666 Park Avenue) currently being produced and distributed by WBTVG all of which started as high-quality successful book franchises aimed at teen girls and young women.

In addition, Alloy Entertainment properties have also been produced for the big screen including Warner Bros Pictures? two "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" films and Warner Premiere?s "The Clique."

"We are pleased to announce a transaction that will deliver significant value to WBTVG and allow Alloy Entertainment to continue to realize its potential as a leading entertainment content provider," commented Zelnick.

ZelnickMedia will continue to run the remaining businesses of Alloy including Alloy Digital, Alloy Education, and Channel One, the television news network for teens.

Alloy Entertainment will continue to collaborate on production and distribution of original digital programming with former sister division, Alloy Digital. Together, the companies have launched six original web series, including the award-winning "Dating Rules From My Future Self," which premieres its second season in August 2012.

MUMBAI: Strengthening its presence at the Comic-Con International: San Diego, the Warner Bros. Television Group has announced that it will present 16 series at the world?s leading pop culture convention.

WBTV has revealed that the pilot episodes for Arrow, 666 Park Avenue, Cult, The Following and Revolution will be screened on Preview Night.

All five TV series will also have panels with cast members and creators during the subsequent days of the convention.

It will also be running panels for Fringe, Supernatural, Nikita, MAD, The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, DC Nation, Person of Interest and Children?s Hospital.

MUMBAI: Zee Cafe is making an on air push for channel perception branding. The English genneral entertainment channel said next month is when viewers will "Get High" on the channel.

To spark off Diwali, five new shows are launching - Vampire Diaries - Season 2, Better With You, Weeds, Rizzoli and Isles and Keeping up with the Kardashians.

Next month will culminate in Billboards Music Awards 2011, which is being brought to India for the first time by the channel.

Zee Caf? kicks off the second season of ?Vampire Diaries? on 3 October. This airs Monday-Friday at 10 pm. Based on the novel series penned by L.J. Smith, the series follows the events in the town of Mystic Falls, Virginia, a fictional small town haunted by supernatural beings.

The main focus of the series is the love triangle between the
female protagonist Elena Gilbert and the vampire brothers Stefan and Damon with dark pasts. The season picks up immediately after the events of the season one finale. The second season focusses on the return of Elena?s doppelganger, Katherine, the Sun and Moon curse, and the arrival of Klaus.

On the comedy side, the channel will launch Better with You from 19 October. It will air Monday-Friday at 11 pm. The romantic sitcom revolves around three different relationships that are tightly intertwined in one family.

In order to fulfill its brand promise of Get High, the channel aims to spice up the weekend with the quirky show, ?Weeds?. Kicking off on 8 October, it will air Saturday-Sunday at 10 pm. This single camera dark comedy explores a widowed mother and her family as they take to selling marijuana to support themselves.

During the course of the show, the family progressively gets entangled in a mesh of illegal activities. The show takes a sarcastic view of how off-colour characters struggle with fake suburban reality, in which everything is "all style, no substance".

Before that the channel will have the drama ?Rizzoli and Isles? from 1 October. It will air Saturday-Sunday at 9 pm. stars The one-hour drama is based on the ?Rizzoli and Isles? series of novels by Tess Gerritsen.

On the reality front, the channel will showcase two shows of Keeping up with the Kardashians, including Kourtney and Khloe take Miami which airs Monday - Friday at 9 pm. The shows profile one of Hollywood?s most high profile families as its members seek fame, fortune and domestic bliss.

The Billboard Music Awards is being brought to India for the first time by Zee Caf?.. The 2011 edition will kick off with a bang, as pop stars like Rihanna, Britney Spears and the Black Eyed Peas rocked the stage at Las Vegas? MGM Grand, while Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Taio Cruz and Lady Antebellum snagged the first awards of the night. Other performers taking the stage during the Billboard Music Awards included Beyonce,Nicki Minaj, Far East Movement, Mary J Blige and Lil Wayne.

Zee Caf? business head Anurag Bedi aid, "It?s time to Get High!!! Zee Caf? gives a golden opportunity to its viewers to go high by experiencing all genre of entertainment whether it?s romantic comedy or supernatural drama or the raunchy series of Kardashians and many more to add. This October, Zee Caf? has lots in its store for its viewers. We are getting more aggressive as far as content is concerned. We?ve always dared to experiment with our content to give our viewers an experience never felt before. October 2011 we would be showcasing five new shows that would encompass different genre of entertainment, giving our viewers a holistic entertainment package."