Net's payout for miniseries largest yet

NEW YORK — HBO is on a roll, following its $100 million-plus payday from “Sex and the City” reruns in cable and TV syndication with a strapping license fee of $6.5 million from History Channel for the 10-hour miniseries “Band of Brothers.”

That payout for “Brothers,” co-executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, is more money than History Channel has ever ponied up for a program and signals the network’s determination to go after properties that appeal to its heavily adult-male viewership.

History has bought “Brothers” — based on the bestselling volume by the late historian Stephen Ambrose about a World War II infantry regiment — for a 2½-year license term, kicking it off during the second quarter of 2004 to coincide with Memorial Day.

As part of the deal, History Channel also has bought the accompanying 90-minute documentary “We Stand Alone Together,” which interviews the actual men of the regiment portrayed in the docudrama.

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History plans to run “Brothers” in letterbox format with limited commercial interruptions during its first play on the network.

Announcing the deal were Dan Davids, executive VP and general manager of History Channel, and Scott Carlin, president of domestic program distribution for HBO.

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