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INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY ENTERS THE 2010-11 UPFRONT SEASON WITH POWERFUL RATINGS MOMENTUM, A ROBUST SLATE OF ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING AND TOP ENGAGEMENT SCORES

ID Launches More Than 20 New Series and Specials Joining a Foundation of Successful Returning Series

April 8, 2010

Contact - Kristin Brown
Senior Vice President, Communications
240.662.5415
Contact - David Schaefer
Sr. Director, Communications
240.662.2954

 (New York, NY) - Investigation Discovery, America's leading investigation network and the #1 network for growth in P2+, HH, P25-54, W25-54 and P18-49 in ad-supported cable (excluding sports)1, ended March with its highest quarter ever in prime for those key demos and enters the upfront with 26 months of consecutive year-over-year HH delivery gains in primetime since its launch in January 2008.

Currently distributed to more than 62 million U.S. homes, ID also achieved the #1 rank in all of ad supported cable for P25-54 total day length of tune2 and ranked #1 in P25-54 prime C3 index in the first 10 weeks of the year3.  Every night of the week is posting double or triple digit P25-54 delivery gains vs. year ago, with original series DISAPPEARED, I (ALMOST) GOT AWAY WITH IT, ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN and TRUE CRIMES WITH APRHODITE JONES leading the ratings charge1.

"ID's ratings momentum proves that our dedication to compelling, emotional storytelling captivates our audience - with the top C3 index and highest length of tune in cable, our viewers are watching more of ID's programming and more of our advertisers' commercials than ever," said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager, ID.  "This upfront season, we have an unprecedented number of new series and investigative specials joining our incredible slate of returning original series.  When you add in the custom editions of the most popular and prestigious news magazine shows in the business, we are giving our advertisers confidence that our performance will continue to surpass expectations."

Joining the news magazines DATELINE ON ID and 48 HOURS ON ID, this spring the network expands its partnership with CBS, launching 60 MINUTES ON ID.  This new, customized version of the award-winning series, hosted by correspondent Scott Pelley, will include updates and new footage of work by the well-known 60 Minutes correspondents, exclusively for the ID audience.

The network has also expanded its ongoing relationship with NBC's Peacock Productions to create unique ID NEWS MINUTES - news segments from the world of justice created daily and hosted by NBC correspondents - which give ID viewers up-to-date information on headline-making stories the nation is talking about.

Highlights of the original line-up of new series include an exclusive development and series deal with best-selling author James Ellroy; a new mini-series featuring Candace Delong, who many believe to be the real-life profiler behind the Clarice Starling character in Silence of the Lambs; a real-life look at Bayou justice; and, a new series that compares Hollywood blockbusters with the real cases that inspired the fictional accounts.

New series, returning originals and new specials/events joining the successful line-up in the 2010-11 season include:

NEW ORIGINAL SERIES

PAPERBACK MYSTERIES

Traveling inside the minds of some of America's most popular writers of thrillers and "whodunits," PAPERBACK MYSTERIES explores the crossover from fact to fiction.  In this exciting new eight-part series, New York Times bestselling authors discuss the real-life cases that captured their fascination and inspired their page-turners.  As each episode unfolds, authors including David Baldacci and Sara Paretsky share their personal experience of writing their gripping novels and the real-life stories that provided the inspiration.  Viewers are exposed to the challenging writing process and the delicate balance these authors need to strike between truth and creativity to make their best-sellers believable.   

BURIED SECRETS

BURIED SECRETS challenges the conventional by giving investigative storytelling a unique new voice: that of the victim.  This riveting 12-part series shares chilling tales through first-person narration based on the victim's perspective.  The story unfolds as a mystery/suspense thriller, leaving viewers waiting for the crimina

JAMES ELLROY'S L.A.: CITY OF DEMONS

From the man the Los Angeles Times called "one of the great American writers of our time" comes a scalding new tabloid-style TV show.  JAMES ELLROY'S L.A.: CITY OF DEMONS is a wild, weekly ride that explores the issues attending criminal justice in America today with on-camera host and narrator, James Ellroy, author of "The Black Dahlia," "L.A. Confidential," "My Dark Places" and current best-seller "Blood's A Rover." Combining archival footage with to-camera essays, Ellroy hangs out with cops, and a corrupt police dog named "Barko", exposing stunning scandals from Tinseltown's torrid past and revealing inside details of today's breaking cases.  A dynamic screen presence, The Demon Dog of American Literature gives you the lowdown on a low-down place - off the record, on the Q.T. and very hush hush.

WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY?

Pulling back the curtain on bizarre double lives, WHO THE (BLEEP) DID I MARRY? examines stories of married couples where one spouse has hidden a shocking secret.  From bank robbers to bigamists to conmen, these compelling and sometimes shocking stories will have viewers shaking their heads in disbelief and wondering how the truths behind these scandalous spouses were kept hidden for so long. 

SAVED ON THE STRIP

Blonde, brash and fearless, former high-class call-girl Annie Lobert answers to a higher calling now. She bravely patrols the streets of Las Vegas to combat sex trafficking.  SAVED ON THE STRIP profiles Lobert, her new husband Oz Fox and her team of former prostitutes, who all counsel current women caught in the downward spiral of unwise choices, drugs and violence in Sin City. 

STALKING (wt)

STALKING reveals the personal terror of having your every move watched and your privacy abused.  Through interviews with victims, witnesses, law enforcement and psychologists, hear the alarming stories that became someone's real-life nightmare.  Throughout this series, experts share helpful resources to assist victims of stalking, which is one of the most misunderstood crimes plaguing society today.  Programming of this nature continues ID's ongoing commitment to support Department of Justice initiatives like raising stalking awareness and furthers the network's partnership with the National Center for Victims of Crime. 

NOTHING PERSONAL

Hosted by Steve Schirripa (Bobby Baccalieri on The Sopranos), NOTHING PERSONAL showcases the risky life of a hit man.  Schirripa - a true-crime aficionado who grew up on the fringes of the mob in Brooklyn - tells the stories of men and women behind the trigger, who were responsible for carrying out infamous contract killings.  Through a combination of testimony from key informants, chilling archive footage and interviews with the people who ultimately brought these hit men to justice, Schirripa unfurls a web of danger and deceit in this underground world.

THE WILL: FAMILY SECRETS REVEALED

Steeped in circumstances, legal complexities and raw family emotion, a will has the ability to tear families apart or bring them together.  THE WILL: FAMILY SECRETS REVEALED invites viewers on an emotional and intimate journey as the final wishes of the deceased are revealed to the family members left behind, often with unforeseen consequences.

 

VEGAS STREETS (wt)

With an iconic image of glamour, wealth and enjoyment, Las Vegas reigns as one of the country's most fascinating cities.  However, under the glittering surface lies a sometimes dangerous world.  VEGAS STREETS chronicles unbelievable stories from the perspectives of those intimately involved, from the officers and investigators who keep the streets safe to the victims and even the perpetrators themselves. 

SECRETS OF THE CITY

From cities full of characters, and with character, including Aspen, East Hamptons and Palm Beach, SECRETS OF THE CITY exposes events that have ripped at the fabric of communities.  With ordinary and extraordinary citizens alike, this series introduces viewers to people who have made a name for themselves, but often for the wrong reasons. 

RETURNING ORIGINAL SERIES

ON THE CASE WITH PAULA ZAHN

Profiling fascinating true stories and featuring gripping interviews conducted by Emmy Award®-winning journalist Paula Zahn, ON THE CASE is a shining example of ID's core brand mission to investigate life's mysteries through riveting storytelling.  Zahn's journalistic expertise and passion for the truth resonate as ON THE CASE unravels shocking investigations that have dominated headlines, and intriguing original stories uncovered exclusively for ID's audience.  For the third season of this critically acclaimed series, Zahn travels the country to talk directly to the people touched by these fascinating cases, resulting in riveting interviews that reveal the raw emotions these tragedies have left behind.

DISAPPEARED

ID's #1 original series, DISAPPEARED returns for a second season of compelling stories of missing family members and the search to find them.  While some of the resolutions are heartwarming and others tragic, many cases remain open to this day and continue to be a source of unbearable frustration for family members and friends.  Each episode of DISAPPEARED begins from the time immediately before the individual vanished, searching for clues hidden beneath seemingly everyday behavior that may indicate whether or not the person left voluntarily. 

I (ALMOST) GOT AWAY WITH IT

For these perpetrators, the stories may be different, but the motives are always the same - to stay out of prison and live life on the lam. The people profiled in I (ALMOST) GOT AWAY WITH IT evaded justice for years, sometimes decades, by using their families, fake identification and even violence to avoid capture. Each episode features an interview from prison with these slick culprits, who spill where they found shelter, how they changed their identities and how they almost got away with it. 

COLD BLOOD

Back for its third thrilling season, COLD BLOOD profiles the suspenseful mystery stories of real homicide investigations through the first-person accounts of America's elite law enforcement personnel.  Multiple twists and competing theories cloud what really happened, but fascinating detective work and shocking forensics reveal the truth.  Featuring all the stunning techniques and visual texture of a top drama, COLD BLOOD delivers high-quality stories of justice.

MAIN STREET MYSTERIES

When crimes happen in a small town, it shocks the foundation of the community.  Until the perpetrator is caught, rumors swirl, panic ensues, and everyone is suspect.  MAIN STREET MYSTERIES exposes crimes that happened in some of the quaintest corners of America.  Each episode reports on an incident that destroyed the peace of a small town - places where these events will be talked about for decades.  

NEW LIMITED SERIES AND SPECIALS

ID INVESTIGATES - Quarterly Specials

Investigation Discovery, America's leading investigation network, brings viewers ID INVESTIGATES, a quarterly special that shines a light on contemporary issues in the public eye.  These investigative specials exemplify Investigation Discovery's commitment to pursuing a fascinating spectrum of stories focused on the quest for justice and providing context and depth to the stories dominating today's headlines.

FACE TO FACE

Retired FBI criminal profiler Candace Delong sits face to face with the actual women who appeared in corresponding special episodes of DEADLY WOMEN.  FACE TO FACE features intimate interviews between Delong and perpetrators from behind prison walls.  Delong helps interpret the interviews for ID's audience by using her extensive profiling skills that she refined trailing terrorists, going undercover within gangs and hunting for the "Unabomber."  Delong, who had a decorated career as a leading FBI criminal profiler, has been described as the real life Clarice Starling, the FBI profiler featured in Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal.

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

Many of Hollywood's biggest movies are based on notorious events like the harrowing tales of a high-stakes bank robber or the terrifying truths of a serial killer. BASED ON A TRUE STORY compares the factually true evidence of real-life cases that inspired an eventual fictionalized illumination on the silver screen.  Stunning photos, exclusive video and expert testimony reveal the truth behind the filmmaker's perspective for some of the most popular thrillers in movie history. 

REAL BAYOU

ID travels to the Louisiana Bayou to profile the personalities who make this unique setting their home.  REAL BAYOU dives into the isolated towns built across the southern swamplands and exposes the bizarre characters that dwell here - from drifters looking to escape society to bootleggers looking for a quick buck.  In towns like these, law enforcement is often called to crime scenes that are truly stranger than fiction.  Meet the quirky police force that patrols these Bayou towns and watch as they show us that the police work here is unique, to say the least. 

DEPUTY BUTTERBEAN (wt)

From a small county in Alabama, DEPUTY BUTTERBEAN follows former boxer and mixed martial arts star 400-pound Erich Esch as he joins the local police force.  With hundreds of calls to the station each weekend, former pro heavy-hitter Esch will be put to the test as he joins experienced law enforcement officers on everything from domestic disputes and narcotics raids to crowd control and drunk driving enforcement.  This docu-reality series showcases Esch in his attempts to fit in with the local force - and fit into his uniform - and also shows his softer side at home with his rambunctious family.

CONS AND FRAUDS (wt)

CONS AND FRAUDS takes a closer look at the evolving world of scams, swindles and cons that are becoming more prevalent than ever in our digital age.  This special exposes the untold stories behind some of the most elaborate schemes ever attempted and presents the evidence that brought the culprits to justice.  Hearing first hand from the victims of these scams allows experts to offer important and useful information to help viewers prevent fraud and identity theft in their own lives.

About Investigation Discovery

Investigation Discovery (ID), America's leading investigation network, is the source for fact-based investigative content about culture, history and the human condition.  Providing the highest quality investigative programming focused on fascinating stories of human nature from the past to the present, Investigation Discovery's in-depth documentaries and series challenge viewers on important issues shaping our culture and defining our world.  As the premier authority in real investigations, ID is expanding partnerships with established news organizations and production companies to bring the strongest analytic, factual investigative and current affairs programming to over 62.7 million U.S. households.  For more information, please visit investigationdiscovery.com

Sources

  • 1- The Nielsen Company, NHI Calendar, Live +SD data, Time-Period Dayparts (Prime (M-Sun 8-11p)), 12/28/09-03/28/10 vs. 12/29/08-03/29/09.
  • 2- The Nielsen Company, Live data, NHI Calendar, 12/28/2009 - 03/28/2010, P25-54, M-Su 6A-6A.
  • 3- The Nielsen Company, Live + 3D, NHI Calendar, 12/28/2009 - 02/14/2010, P25-54, M-Su 8P-11P, tied with Weather Channel, excludes kids networks and ADSM that does not air during the entire daypart.