WGN America's "Manhattan" Rises To More Than 2.2 Million Total Viewers In Live + 3 Viewing For Its Multi-Channel Premiere Across WGN America And Tribune Stations Nationwide

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- WGN America's critically acclaimed drama "Manhattan" increased its audience in Live + 3 viewing for last Sunday's premiere night, growing to more than 2.2 million Total Viewers (+24%), 796,000 Adults 25-54 (+31%) and 634,000 Adults 18-49 (+38%), for its three-play gross telecasts on WGN America and 14 of Tribune's local stations.  The telecast aired in all of Tribune's 33 markets; however, the remaining 19 markets do not receive daily demographic data.  WGN America, Tribune's (TRBAA:OTC) flagship entertainment network, covers 61.7% of U.S. households.

"We are very pleased with the critical reception as well as the audience turnout for 'Manhattan' and see it as a significant step forward in establishing WGN America as a destination for high-quality programming," said Matt Cherniss, president and general manager, WGN America and Tribune Studios.

The series debut of "Manhattan" on WGN America lifted to nearly 1.8 million Total Viewers (+26%), 605,000 Adults 25-54 (+35%) and 471,000 Adults 18-49 (+44%), during three combined airings on the network (9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, 10:10 p.m. ET / 7:10 p.m. PT, 12:00 a.m. ET / 9:00 p.m. PT).

The "Manhattan" premiere telecast on WGN America at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, grew to 1.1 million Total Viewers (+19%), 282,000 Adults 18-49 (+21%) and 379,000 Adults 25-54 (+15%) in Live +3 DVR viewing over Live + Same Day.  The performance of the 9 p.m. telecast represents a solid +253% increase over the network's season-to-date time period average among Total Viewers in Live + 3 viewing.

WGN America is available in 71.4 million U.S. homes, and has only a single feed, making for an early West Coast premiere at 6 p.m. PT. 

Episode two of "Manhattan," "The Prisoner's Dilemma" airs this SUNDAY, August 3 at its regular time, 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT on WGN America.

Created and written by Sam Shaw ("Masters of Sex") and directed by Emmy Award-winning director Thomas Schlamme ("The West Wing"), "Manhattan" is produced by Lionsgate Television, Skydance Television and Tribune Studios. 

"Manhattan" is set against the backdrop of the greatest race against time in the history of science -- the mission to build the world's first atomic bomb.  The series follows the brilliant but flawed scientists and their families in Los Alamos as they attempt to coexist in a world where secrets and lies infiltrate every aspect of their lives. 

The ensemble cast of "Manhattan" includes John Benjamin Hickey ("The Big C," "The Good Wife") as Frank Winter; Olivia Williams ("Rushmore," "The Ghost Writer") as Liza Winter; Daniel Stern ("Home Alone," "Home Alone 2") as Glen Babbit; Ashley Zukerman ("Rush") as Charlie Isaacs; Rachel Brosnahan ("House of Cards") as Abby Isaacs; Katja Herbers ("De Storm") as Helen Prins; Alexia Fast ("Jack Reacher") as Callie Winter; Christopher Denham ("Argo," "Shutter Island") as Jim Meeks; Harry Lloyd ("Game of Thrones") as Paul Crosley; Michael Chernus ("The Big C," "Orange Is The New Black") as Louis "Fritz" Fedowitz; and Eddie Shin ("Men of a Certain Age") as Sid Liao.

"Manhattan" is executive produced by Sam Shaw, Thomas Schlamme, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross and Dustin Thomason. The series is filmed on location in New Mexico. Follow "Manhattan" on Twitter @ManhattanWGNA. "Like" the series on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ManhattanWGNA, and join the discussion with #manhattanwgna. See photos on Instagram by following @ManhattanWGNA and videos at www.youtube.com/ManhattanWGNA.

[Source:  Nielsen Media Research, Live + 3 data]

WGN America and Tribune Studios
WGN America, the flagship network of Tribune Company, is nationally distributed in 71.4 million homes via cable, satellite and telco, with entertainment programming including the original, scripted series "Salem," "Manhattan" and "Ten Commandments," along with first-run syndicated series, blockbuster movies and live sports. Through Tribune Studios, the creative development arm of Tribune Company, original content is produced for WGN America and Tribune local stations nationwide. Follow the network on Twitter @wgnamerica. For additional information, please visit www.wgnamerica.com.

Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. Lionsgate currently has over 30 television shows on more than 20 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men" and "Nurse Jackie," the comedy "Anger Management," the network series "Nashville," the syndication success "The Wendy Williams Show" and the critically-acclaimed series "Orange is the New Black."
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first two installments of "The Hunger Games franchise," "The Hunger Games" and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," "A Madea Christmas," "Now You See Me," "Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain," "Warm Bodies, " "The Expendables 2," "The Possession," "Sinister," Roadside Attractions' "Mud" and Pantelion Films' breakout hit "Instructions Not Included," the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

Skydance Television
Skydance Productions tells big stories and creates immersive worlds, producing narratives that span film, television, games and more. Skydance is in production on a reinvention of the TERMINATOR franchise, to be released on July 1, 2015 and begins production in October on a disaster film titled GEOSTORM written by Dean Devlin and Paul Guyot with Devlin also directing, to be released on March 25, 2016. Skydance is currently developing MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 5 with Christopher McQuarrie directing, to be released on December 25, 2015. Skydance's television division is currently in production on its first series, Manhattan, with WGN America, premiering in July 2014. From writer Sam Shaw and director Tommy Schlamme, this 13-episode drama is set against the backdrop of the clandestine mission to build the world's first atomic bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico. Skydance's previous projects include the award-winning Coen Brothers film TRUE GRIT, starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon; MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE -- GHOST PROTOCOL, starring Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner, and Christopher McQuarrie's JACK REACHER, starring Tom Cruise, JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT, from director Kenneth Branagh and starring Chris Pine; WORLD WAR Z, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster; J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto, and G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, starring Bruce Willis, Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson.

SOURCE WGN America