"Lost" reruns land at Sci Fi, G4

By Kimberly Nordyke

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sci Fi Channel and videogame-oriented outlet G4 have snapped up off-network cable rights to ABC's "Lost," and will star airing the drama next fall.

Sci Fi is planning to "stack" the drama in a weekly four-hour primetime block, possibly on Monday nights, and also has obtained the right to stream a limited number of episodes at SciFi.com.

G4, which will air the show as a primetime strip (Monday-to-Fiday), is planning to give "Lost" the same interactive treatment it has given such acquired series as "Cops" and "Star Trek," dubbing it "Lost 2.0" and offering viewers multiple interactive and Web-enabled elements. G4 also has obtained exclusive cable weekend rights as well as the right to stream a limited number of episodes at G4tv.com.

Over the summer, ABC announced that the Emmy-winning series would end its run at the conclusion of three more seasons consisting of 16 episodes each. Season 4 bows in February.

All parties declined comment on financial terms of the off-net deal, but sources said Sci Fi and G4 paid a total of $200,000 per episode for all six seasons, with Sci Fi shelling out a majority of that amount.

Thomas Vitale, senior vp programming and original movies at NBC Universal-owned Sci Fi, said the Sci Fi audience "responds best when they can really get into a show, so we're excited about" running it as a "mini-marathon" every week.

Comcast Corp.-controlled G4, meanwhile, also will have the ability to air the show in its original form, though president Neal Tiles noted that the "2.0" versions of its acquired series are popular with the network's young male-centric audience. He said "Cops 2.0" helped to "age the audience down" by nine years, while "Star Trek 2.0" was the network's highest-rated show among males 18-34 when it premiered.

"This show is so intricate, with so many different story lines happening in every episode, we thought it was a good opportunity for us to pursue these different elements (with an interactive version)," Tiles said. "This is an interesting way for people who have seen the series to rediscover it and for people who haven't seen it to jump in for the first time."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter