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'Ugly Betty' Heads to TV Guide Network

TV Guide Network has picked up the cable off-network rights to ABC's series "Ugly Betty." It is the network's first major acquisition since it changed programming direction under new owners.

Under the deal with Disney-ABC Domestic TV, TV Guide will begin repurposing "Betty" in October. The cable network will air the series' new installments within two weeks of their run on ABC. Additionally, TV Guide will run "Betty" as a weekly strip beginning in fall 2010. Sources pegged the license fee at about $200,000 per episode.

Ryan O'Hara, network president, says the series "will become a cornerstone of TV Guide Network's schedule." TV Guide Network has been owned by Lionsgate and JPMorgan Chase's One Equity Partners since March. Lately, TV Guide signaled a shift in its programming focus toward acquiring product to complement original programs and in-house shows. In June, the network scaled back several in-house produced series.

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