Tired of slouching around looking for your Star Wars DVDs? Good news.
Turner Broadcasting has snagged the rights to every film. Yes, the media conglomerate behind TNT and TBS now has a multi-year licensing agreement with both Disney and 20th Century Fox, granting them exclusive basic cable rights to the billion-dollar galaxy that has proven, you know, pretty successful.
“The Star Wars movies and characters are beloved across generations, captivating audiences and breaking box office records around the globe for nearly four decades,” says Turner EVP Deborah K. Bradley. “Through this deal, TNT and TBS will be the exclusive basic cable home of one of the most iconic, enduring and valuable movie franchises of all time, giving viewers the chance to watch this amazing collection from the very beginning.”
Starting next week, the networks will be able to show all six of the original films with the new blockbusters to surface in the years to come. Which means Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which recently debuted on pay-cable channel Starz, will make its way to the networks in 2018 with this December’s Rogue One to follow circa 2019.
That’s a lot of waiting, admittedly, but if you’re like me and enjoy a lazy afternoon of couch surfing, this is one primo deal. Besides, who’s going to want to own stupid physical things like DVDs or Blu-rays in the far off future? We’ll want it beamed in our heads or shown on … network television.
Nevertheless, here’s the rollout for TNT:
Tuesday, Sept. 20
8:00 p.m. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
11:00 p.m. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Wednesday, Sept. 21
8:00 p.m. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
11:05 p.m. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Thursday, Sept. 22
8 p.m. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
11:05 p.m. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Friday, Sept. 23
8:00 p.m. Star Wars: A New Hope
10:45 p.m. Star Wars: A New Hope
Saturday, Sept. 24
10:45 a.m. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
1:45 p.m. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
4:55 p.m. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
8:00 p.m. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
10:45 p.m. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Sunday, Sept. 25
5:15 a.m. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
8:15 a.m. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
11:20 a.m. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
2:25 p.m. Star Wars: A New Hope
5:10 p.m. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
8:00 p.m. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
11:00 p.m. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
2:00 a.m. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
