Editing Ion Television (section)

===Recent programming deals===
In 2006, Ion Media Networks reached several programming deals, two with major programming suppliers that were announced within a week of each other, and another that among other things would bring original programming to Ion Television's lineup. On June 27, 2006, Ion Media announced a comprehensive programming deal with [[Warner Bros. Television Distribution]], which gave it the broadcast rights to movies and television series owned by the company.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Press|url=http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=11|website=Ion Media Networks|date=June 27, 2006|access-date=July 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060708073144/http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=11|archive-date=July 8, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> One week later on July 5, 2006, Ion announced a similar deal that resulted in the acquisition of broadcast rights to films and series distributed by [[Sony Pictures Television]] (now [[Sony Pictures Television Studios]]).<ref>{{cite press release|title=Press|url=http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=12|website=Ion Media Networks|date=July 5, 2006|access-date=July 7, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310202512/http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=12|archive-date=March 10, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> Starting in September of that year, series and feature films from both libraries were incorporated onto the network's prime time schedule (including ''Who's the Boss?'', ''[[Designing Women]]'', ''Mama's Family'', ''Growing Pains'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The Wonder Years''). However, these older series were later dropped when the network shifted towards more recent series. Ion also struck a library content deal with [[NBCUniversal]], which gave it access to shows such as ''[[Law & Order]]''.<ref>{{cite press release|title=Press|url=http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=19|website=Ion Media Networks|access-date=December 23, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928101254/http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=19|archive-date=September 28, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 2008, Ion Television reached a multi-year film rights agreement with Warner Bros. Television Distribution to broadcast more recent movies from Warner Bros. and its related studios. Meanwhile, three series from CBS Television Distribution (now [[CBS Media Ventures]]) were added to the schedule: ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]'' joined the lineup in September 2008, while ''Criminal Minds'' and ''[[Ghost Whisperer]]'' were added to the Ion Television lineup in 2009. In January 2009, the network announced that it had acquired the broadcast rights to the [[Canadian television]] drama series ''[[Durham County (TV series)|Durham County]]'';<ref>{{cite press release|title=ION Television Acquires the Award-Winning Original TV Series ''Durham County''|url=http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=137|website=Ion Media Networks|date=January 6, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228142922/http://www.ionmedia.tv/press/press.cfm?id=137|archive-date=February 28, 2009}}</ref> that show aired on the network for less than a year.

On January 21, 2011, Ion Television acquired the U.S. television rights to the Canadian drama series ''[[Flashpoint (TV series)|Flashpoint]]'', which gave it first-run rights to the fourth season's final 11 episodes, after CBS aired that season's first eight episodes, as well as rights to air reruns of all episodes produced to date and thereafter;<ref>{{cite web|title=Canadian 'Flashpoint' In U.S. Syndie Deal, Will Air Originals On CBS And ION|url=https://deadline.com/2011/01/canadian-drama-flashpoint-in-u-s-syndi-deal-will-air-originals-on-cbs-and-ion-98828/|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|date=January 21, 2011|access-date=November 14, 2012}}</ref> Ion (along with the show's originating Canadian broadcaster, CTV) also renewed the series for a fifth and final season that aired during the fall of 2012.

In July 2011, Ion Television acquired the broadcast television rights to six films produced by [[Starz Media]] (now [[Lionsgate]]) as part of its weekend film block (then branded as the "Big Movie Weekend"); the films started airing on the network in November of that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ion Television Inks Starz Media Deal for Six Theatricals|url=http://www.multichannel.com/article/470986-Ion_Television_Inks_Starz_Media_Deal_For_Six_Theatricals.php|periodical=Multichannel News|publisher=[[NewBay Media]]|date=July 2011|access-date=October 28, 2013}}</ref> Ion also acquired the syndication rights to the [[USA Network]] series ''Psych'' and ''Monk'' from NBCUniversal; the two series respectively began airing in late 2011 and early 2012. ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', also from NBCUniversal, joined the network in September 2012. In September 2011, Ion Television acquired the syndication rights to ''[[George Lopez (TV series)|George Lopez]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Ion Acquires Comedy 'George Lopez'|url=https://www.deadline.com/2011/09/ion-acquires-comedy-george-lopez/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226134503/http://www.deadline.com/2011/09/ion-acquires-comedy-george-lopez/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 26, 2011|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=September 2011|access-date=November 14, 2012}}</ref> and ''[[Leverage (American TV series)|Leverage]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=TNT Series Gets Syndication Deal|url=http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/09/tnt-series-gets-syndication-de.php|website=TVWeek|publisher=Dexter Canfield Media, Inc.|date=September 2011|access-date=November 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929222033/http://www.tvweek.com/blogs/tvbizwire/2011/09/tnt-series-gets-syndication-de.php|archive-date=September 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''George Lopez'' began airing on September 29, while ''Leverage'' debuted in July 2012, the former has since been dropped from the network, while the latter has been cycled on-and-off the schedule.

On October 4, 2011, Ion Television acquired the rights to the first two seasons of the Canadian drama ''[[The Listener (TV series)|The Listener]]'' for broadcast in 2012, with an option for future seasons through an agreement with [[Shaw Media]] (parent of the show's originating broadcaster, [[Global Television Network|Global]]); the series would not join Ion's schedule until March 2014, by which time Ion Television had entered into a co-production arrangement for the program.<ref>{{cite web|title=ION Television Acquires 'The Listener'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ion-television-acquires-nbc-drama-243616|first=Etan|last=Vlessing|periodical=The Hollywood Reporter|date=December 4, 2011|access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='The Listener' To Become ION Original Series As Network Joins As Co-Producer|url=https://deadline.com/2014/02/the-listener-to-become-ion-original-series-as-network-joins-as-co-producer-688108/|first=Nellie|last=Andreeva|website=Deadline Hollywood|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=February 24, 2014|access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref> A similar deal reached in September 2014 with [[Entertainment One]] gave Ion the American rights to the medical drama ''[[Saving Hope]]'' (which made its American debut on NBC in the summer of 2012); Ion began airing first-run episodes and repeats of the series in October 2015.<ref>{{cite press release|title=ION Television Picks Up 'Saving Hope' Season Three|url=http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/09/03/ion-television-picks-up-saving-hope-season-three/299035/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904090907/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/09/03/ion-television-picks-up-saving-hope-season-three/299035/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 4, 2014|first=Sara|last=Bibel|website=[[TV by the Numbers]]|publisher=[[Zap2it]] ([[Tribune Digital Ventures]])|via=Ion Media Networks|date=September 3, 2014|access-date=October 31, 2015}}</ref>

In December 2011, Ion Television acquired the syndication rights to ''[[Cold Case]]'', which debuted in 2012. On June 25, 2012, Ion Television entered into a deal with [[WWE]] to air a new hour-long series titled ''[[WWE Main Event]]'' on Wednesday nights; the series debuted on October 3, 2012<ref name=WWEMainEvent>{{cite press release|title=ION Television Debuts WWE Main Event|url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ion-television-debuts-wwe-main-170000184.html|publisher=[[Yahoo! Finance]]|via=Ion Media Networks|date=June 25, 2012|access-date=January 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630044807/http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ion-television-debuts-wwe-main-170000184.html|archive-date=June 30, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and ran until April 2, 2014.