The premiere telecast, featuring Ricky Schroder (Crimson Tide, Lonesome Dove, NYPD Blue, 24) and Peter Fonda (Easy Rider, Ulee’s Gold, 3:10 to Yuma), out-paced all previous ION/RHI movies, demonstrating a steady increase in the exclusive franchise. “Journey” boasted the most outstanding performance of any RHI movie on ION to date with a 259 percent spike in the adults 25-54 demographic and 234 percent gain in women ages 25-54. The Sunday night RHI Movie Weekend block has shown continued growth versus the fourth quarter, boosting households by 112 percent and more than doubling in every demographic category.

“This positive response from our viewers is a testament to the quality of our programming partnerships,” said Brandon Burgess, Chairman and CEO of ION Media Networks. “RHI is delivering on the promise of fresh, exciting programming that grows our audience. As the Upfronts approach, advertisers are seeing tangible proof of how important ION Television can be as part of their overall media plans.”

More original programming from RHI will premiere on ION Television in March. In addition, quality library titles slated to appear in the coming weeks include the Emmy Award-winning miniseries “Arabian Nights”; “Moby Dick,” starring Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck; and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,” starring Ben Cross.

By adding series like “Baywatch” and “The Drew Carey Show” to its lineup, ION Television is continuing to migrate toward more mainstream content, attracting growing audiences. In fact, ION Television saw a ratings boost on Monday, January 28th, as “The Drew Carey Show” delivered a .6 rating, doubling its four-week average since its launch on New Year’s Day. In its 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. timeslot, the Emmy-nominated series captured 622,000 households, and delivered a 73 percent increase in adults 25-54 and a 141 percent increase in women 25-54 in comparison to its average performance since its launch.

About ION Media Networks

ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group and ION Television, reaching over 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. ION Television currently features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of Warner Bros., Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television, among others. ION Media has also partnered with RHI Entertainment, which owns over 4,000 hours of acclaimed television content, to provide weekend primetime programming consisting of exclusive original programming and quality library titles. Utilizing its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a television and multimedia network for children formed in partnership with several leading media and entertainment companies, and ION Life, a television and multimedia network dedicated to health and wellness for consumers and families. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.tv.