Arts-themed network Ovation TV has acquired non-exclusive rights to the classic mystery series Hart to Hart, the network said Thursday.

As part of the agreement, Ovation will air five seasons of the The Sony Pictures Entertainment-produced series -- which ran on ABC from 1979 to 1984 -- beginning Nov. 17. 

In addition, the network also announced it has acquired eight made-for-television movies based on the series. 

Hart To Hart starred Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as a wealthy couple who led a glamorous lifestyle but regularly found themselves working as un-paid detectives in order to solve crimes in which they became embroiled, said Ovation.  

The series was created by Sidney Sheldon, developed by Tom Mankiewicz, and executive produced by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.

“We are pleased to add the classic Hart to Hart to our growing slate of premium drama series,”  Ovation TV EVP of Programming and Production Scott Woodward said in a statement. “The series will find its home on Wednesday nights during primetime, as a companion to our popular Mystery Alley franchise that airs on Saturday nights. The network continues to look for classic mystery programming that our discerning audience enjoys watching again and again.”

Read Also: Ovation's Journy Channel Gets Carriage on Vizio WatchFree Plus 

Ovation TV said two of its over-the-top on-demand channels, Journy and Mystery Alley, are being distributed by streaming service DistroTV.

Journy is a travel-entertainment channel covering travel art and culture. Mystery Alley celebrates the art of mystery with an international library of thrillers and dramas.

The channels are available to consumers in DistroTV’s OnDemand section.

“As Ovation continues to build its digital distribution with premium partners, we are excited to team up with DistroTV on Journy and Mystery Alley,” said John Malkin, executive VP, content distribution, at Ovation TV. “DistroTV is the largest, independent, free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform on the market, and we are pleased to be adding two new OnDemand channels to its diverse set of multicultural, multi-language content from across the globe.”

Also Read: Comscore Signs VOD Ratings Agreement With Ovation

DistroTV is a division of DistroScale, a video platform that works with about 3,500 media properties and reaches more than 250 million unique users monthly. 

"At DistroTV, we are committed to increasing our channel diversity as our global audience continues to grow," said Navdeep Saini, co-founder and CEO of DistroScale. "We recognize that our audience has a variety of interests and passions and we continue to strive to meet those needs by adding additional relevant content. We are thrilled to welcome Journy and Mystery Alley to our channel lineup."

Journy titles include Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations; Richard Ayoade’s Travel Man; Xploration Awesome Planet with host Philippe Cousteau; David Rocco’s Dolce; Surfing the Menu; Lee Chan’s World Food Tour; The Voyager with Josh Garcia; DNA Dinners; and Gordon Ramsey’s Great Escape. 

Mystery Alley features series and movies such as The Scapegoat, The Hour, McCallum, Mary Higgins Clark’s Haven’t We Met Before?, Shadow Island Mysteries, The Fall, Crossing Lines, Murdoch Mysteries, Midsomer Murders, Rebus, The Village, The Blue Rose, Street Legal, Republic of Doyle, Cloudstreet, and Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye.

Comscore said it reached an agreement with Ovation to provide the arts network with audience measurement for its video-on-demand content.

Ovation will have access to Comscore OnDemand Essentials, a service that gives programmers census-level measurement of VOD programming based on data from most of the multichannel video programming distributors in the United States.

"We are pleased to be signing a new agreement for Comscore's OnDemand Essentials measurement," added Liz Janneman, executive VP of network strategy at Ovation. "For an independent television and digital media company that celebrates all forms of art, Comscore's VOD data complements Ovation's artful curation of on-demand programming."

Ovation TV is available on major providers via cable, satellite and telco systems including Comcast Cable/Xfinity, DirecTV/AT&T U-verse, Spectrum, Verizon FiOS, as well as on demand. 

"We are thrilled to partner with Ovation for video-on-demand measurement," said Carol Hinnant, chief commercial officer at Comscore. "Our unprecedented scale will provide a deeper understanding of their audiences and the VOD landscape. We look forward to supporting the Ovation team in its mission to help people discover information and make life's most important decisions."

Ovation TV is adding to the mystery and drama series it airs with a deal with Beta Film for the linear and AVOD rights to four Canadian shows.

Appearing on Ovation in 2021 will be two seasons of Cracked, two seasons of King, one season of Street Legal and two seasons of Remedy.

The deal comes after Ovation TV aired other Canadian titles, including Murdoch Mysteries and Frankie Drake Mysteries, and liked what happened.

“Our first deal with Beta Film is for four mystery and drama titles, totaling 68 hours of great content I’m sure our audience will enjoy,” stated Scott Woodward, executive VP of programming and production, Ovation TV. “As we continue to build our relationships with Canadian distributors and producers, I hope this is the first of many deals with Beta.”

“We are delighted to start the cooperation with Ovation and hope that these series, covering a large spectrum from legal, to medical, to crime, will find their audience and contribute immensely to Ovation's success,” added Jeffrey Engelen, international sales manager North America, Beta Film.

Cracked, is a mix of police and medical drama starring David Sutcliffe, Luise d’Oliveira and Day Ade. In King, Amy Price-Francis plays a detective who becomes head of the Major Crime Task Force.

Street Legal is a reboot of a series that ran from 1987 to 1993, with Cynthia Dale returning as a lawyer at a startup firm in Toronto.

Remedy goes behind the scenes of Toronto’s Bethune General Hospital, where Enrico Colantoni is chief of staff, overseeing three of his sons.

Ovation TV said it will premiere season one of The Fall, starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, on Oct. 10.

The show will be part of the network’s recently launched Mystery Alley Saturday night block.

Ovation TV will air season two of The Fall on Nov. 13. Season three will appear in the first quarter of next year.

In addition to appearing on Saturday nights, The Fall will be available on demand and via the Ovation Now app.

In The Fall Anderson, who starred in The X Files, plays a driven homicide detective, and Dornan is the serial predator she seeks in Belfast.

Ovation TV launched Mystery Alley earlier this month, with series The Code and Secret State. Ovation TV said it plans to add new content monthly to Mystery Alley and plans to triple the amount of programming it offers by year end.

Independent arts network Ovation TV said it is launching Mystery Alley, a new brand that will be both a programming block on its linear service and an expanded advertising-supported video-on-demand service with the Ovation Now app.

With cord-cutting reducing the number of traditional pay TV subscribers and the pandemic boosting streaming, programmers large and small are jumping into the AVOD business.

“We’re thrilled to be launching Mystery Alley for our viewers who clearly crave mysteries. Ovation TV will continue to feature and celebrate the Arts with engaging content that transcends various mediums and genres,” said Scott Woodward, executive VP of programming and production, Ovation TV. “Mystery Alley allows us to deliver on our commitment to programming that is artfully made and always satisfying, while unleashing a whole new catalogue of private detectives and whodunnits for our Ovation TV subscribers on-air, as well as with the general public on our digital platforms.”

New titles will be added monthly to Mystery Alley on Ovation Now, which aims to triple the amount of content it offers by yearend.

Series and films available on Mystery Alley include Midsomer Murders, The Scapegoat and Mary Higgins Clark: Pretend You Don’t See Her. The network will also air Mystery Alley titles on Saturday nights such as Secret State, The Fall, and The Hour.

Ovation Now is available on digital platforms iOS, Android, Roku, and Amazon Fire. Mystery Alley on Ovation Now is free to download and can be streamed on phones, tablets, set-top boxes, and connected TVs.

Ovation TV has acquired the long-running interview series Inside The Actors Studio and will launch a new season in 2019 from New York City, the network and the Actors Studio announced Monday.

The series -- which has aired on Bravo since 1994 -- will feature a rotation of hosts as part of its new iteration, ending the run of James Lipton, the show’s original host, creator and executive producer. Along with new episodes, and changing the scene to New York from Los Angeles, Ovation has also secured content from the Actors Studios’ extensive library of episodes, said Ovation.

The series, which has received 20 Emmy nominations, has featured interviews with such actors and directors as Sally Field, Ellen Burstyn, Alec Baldwin, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Sidney Pollack, Carol Burnett, Jessica Lange, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Billy Crystal, Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Jeremy Irons, Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, George Clooney and Angelina Jolie.

“Inside The Actors Studio is a series that fits perfectly with Ovation’s mission to provide viewers with diverse arts programming, and we’re doing it from the heart of New York City with the support of our partners at AT&T-DirecTV, Comcast, Charter, Verizon Fios and independent cable operators across the country,” Ovation CEO Charles Segars said in a statement. 

Bravo also released a statement: "Inside the Actors Studio was Bravo’s first original series, getting 19 Emmy nominations and an Emmy win over the last 24 years, and it will always be a part our family. We’ve had a legendary run with Jim and we’ve all enjoyed his unique interview style, comprehensive research, intimate conversations and his impact on pop culture. With Jim at the helm, the series became a must stop for A-List Hollywood and creative talent. Now that there will be a new host, we felt it was time to close this chapter and pass the baton.” 

Ovation Tv will continue to turn to quality scripted fare to help build its arts-themed brand amidst a crowded and cluttered entertainment landscape. Network executive vice president of programming and production Scott Woodward outlined the network’s programming strategy in a recent interview by talking up such shows as Versailles andRiviera -- which premieres in February 2019 -- as content that will create noise while appealing to the network’s upscale, highly educated 25-54 targeted audience. An edited version appears below.

How do you define the Ovation Network brand?

Artistic. Upscale. Engaged. These may be kind of funny individual words to define a network, but it fits the brand. When I look at something like Artful Detective – now in its 11th season – it’s on in the 10 o'clock slot on Saturday night and doing well for us. The minute I try to move that out of its timeslot I will have 150 people calling me in my office complaining. So it's wherever we can find content that people really get engaged with and have passion for.

Is that engaged content more effective with scripted or reality shows?

When I look at our audience from an independent network standpoint, our audience is upscale, highly-educated and a bit older, so what we really need to deliver for that audience is truly premium content. Two years ago when we launched Versailles with a really strong marketing campaign, it became the most successful show we've had on the network. Then season two outperformed season one, and now we're really looking forward to season three launching (Oct. 6). Then the question became what's next after that? We were very happy when Riviera popped up with Julia Stiles; not only is that a premium show like Versailles, but it’s also set in the world of art. It is a crime drama, but it really deals with art theft and forgery, and it's just a really compelling series.

As an independent network, do you feel like you have to develop or acquire big-ticket scripted shows likeVersaillesto give you a chance to compete in a very crowded and noisy cable Tv environment?

Absolutely. Not only because of the level of awareness, but it has to be something that you can talk about in social media. I think one of the successes of Versailles was the incredible social push we got for that show. When I speak of social media tied to Versailles, it was really all ages that were engaged. And the other thing we did that I think that worked well for us is we created complimentary or shoulder content. So for the months leading up to Versailles we had a three part series, The Mysteries of Versailles. We also had a documentary on the making of Versailles the second season. We did an after show after each episode on Facebook that really did quite well for us. It’s about creating a buzz.

What should viewers expect to see from Ovation this year?

We built out the 10 o’clock hour on Saturday night and now as we move forward we are looking at looking at building out additional nights. We've got Monday at 10 (pm) which is really more of a mystery block -- we had The Halcyon last year, and right now we've got X Company in that slot and it's doing well for us. On Wednesday April 18 we're launching a series called The Wine Show, with Wednesday night becoming more of our factual night. We're going to cast a pretty wide net for the kind of artistic content that we'll put in there. It’ll range from The Wine Show to The Art Show, to Masters of Photography with Isabella Rossellini, and again we'll always try to look for that show that has some kind of well-known talent attached that we really can take advantage of it in terms of promotion and advertising.

WASHINGTON — Ovation TV and Vme TV, both independent programmers, want Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler to put out the agency’s set-top box proposal for comment in a further notice of proposed rulemaking so they can see just what the FCC is proposing and allow for a few weeks of comment.

Wheeler has lifted the sunshine prohibitions on contacting FCC officials about the proposal, but not the changes to the item now being hashed out by commissioners. The chairman pulled the set-top plan from the agenda of last month’s public meeting, giving commissioners more time for vetting. However, he has declined to publish the text (it is considered work product until finalized) or to put the latest proposal for out public comment.

Without seeing the details of the new proposal, Victor Cerda, senior vice president of Hispanic-targeted Vme TV, told reporters on a Monday conference call that dealing with Wheeler’s set-top plan has been like “negotiating with a mime.”

Cerda and executives from Ovation, an arts-focused channel, took part in the conference call organized by the Future of TV Coalition (both programmers are members) to talk about their ongoing problems with Wheeler’s plan to “unlock” the cable set-top box. Chief among them is that they aren’t sure what’s in it.

They are sure, however, that if the plan gives the FCC any role in reviewing their contracts with distributors it will be a big problem.

Wheeler moved from an original set-top based approach to making MVPD content available to third-party navigation devices as a way to promote set-top competition. After major blowback from virtually all quarters — including top congressional Democrats — he pivoted to a more app-based approach.

When that approach also drew flak — and it became clear that Wheeler didn’t even have the votes of all the FCC Democrats — the item was pulled from the FCC’s Sept. 29 public meeting agenda. It was put in circulation for a vote, but in an unusual move, the FCC preserved the sunshine-rule prohbitions on contacting FCC decision-makers about the item.

After complaints from Vme and many others, the sunshine-rule prohibition was lifted. But FCC staffers were still limited as to what they could say, prompting Cerda’s comment about talking to a mime.

"We actually sit there and present it and hope from their body language and their questions we can glean some idea of what is being worked into the rule," he said.

Cerda said he had worked on homeland-decurity issues and in government and had not seen this level of secrecy in other contexts where he thought it was more defensible. "Here, dealing with a cable box and television, and this kind of approach … it's just bizarre."

NCTA – The Internet & Television Association had pushed an app-based proposal — Vme TV helped with that effort, Cerda said — but the chairman's variation and its subsequent tweaking was not what Internet-service providers, Vme or Ovation, had in mind due to the FCC's role in contracts.

But their baseline pitch was mostly about transparency. Whatever the FCC is proposing, the networks want to see it and figure out how it affects them. It’s hard to manage through uncertainty, and even harder for independents than large programmers, Ovation general counsel Robert Rader said.

Both Vme’s Cerda and Ovation executive vice president of distribution John Malkin said that the FCC chairman's "trust me" approach to the item did not cut it.

Part of Wheeler's goal with the set-top proposal, he has said, is to making it easier for viewers to find independent programmers in a unified search of online and traditional content. 

Malkins said Ovation knows well the challenge of getting noticed as an independent, a fight the network fights every day. He also said that Ovation is fine with an app-based approach, but the FCC proposal appears to be a threat to the network’s business model.

Malkin said he was "surprised and alarmed at the decision not to share the information about a proposal that has changed markedly, and one that could impact the industry as a whole.

Among the "huge" issues Malkin said they remained in the dark about included: 1) whether the FCC was looking to create a compulsory license — Wheeler says no, but MVPDs and studios have said it sure looks like it; 2) how would contractual protections from networks being dropped or repositioned be conveyed to the new regime, if they would carry over at all; 3) what happens to their advertising; and 4) what does the search model look like and will sites with pirated content be searchable alongside Ovation's acquired or original, licensed content.

Rader said that if contractual protections were not secure, those hard-won elements would go for naught, and that he was concerned by the FCC's "rush and secrecy." Getting in a plug for Ovation’s new series, Versailles, about palace intrigue in the court of Louis XIV, Malkin said he saw parallels with how the FCC was handling the set-top item.

Wheeler has said there has been plenty of time to comment on the various issues in play.

Ovation TV has hired Participant Media executive Mike Kim as senior vice president, content distribution. He reports to content distribution executive vice president John Malkin and Ovation said he will work with Malkin on maintaining and renewing existing national accounts and securing distribution for the network with non-affiliated national accounts, including TV-everywhere, video-on-demand and streaming platforms. He will also be responsible for managing and securing incremental distribution with National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC) accounts. 

At Participant Media he was vice president, affiliate distribution and partnerships and played a key role in the launch and growth of Pivot. Before joining Participant he was VP of  affiliate sales and marketing, Western Division, for Outdoor Channel, overseeing sales and marketing for cable systems in 18 states. Earlier in his career he was a distribution executive at Fox Cable Networks; Tennis Channel and Showtime Networks.

“Mike’s extensive experience in multi-platform content distribution will be critical to our success as we continue to expand our footprint and range of distributor partnerships,” Malkin said in a release. “He understands the challenges and advantages of being part of an independent network in today’s ever-changing media environment and will be a great asset in helping us capitalize on the myriad of opportunities in front of us.”

Ovation TV, the independently owned arts and entertainment channel, said it has hired John Malkin as executive vice president of content distribution, reporting to CEO Charles Segars. He leads the network's distribution efforts across all platforms, Ovation said. He replaces Brad Samuels, the former EVP who left to join Bloomberg TV, per Ovation.

Malkin was VP of affiliate distribution at NFL Network. During his tenure, the National Football League-owned network increased by distribution by 22 million subscribers, securing carriage deals with Time Warner Cable, Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications and more than 400 cable companies in the National Cable Television Co-Op, Ovation said. NFL Network, with 69 million subscribers, had distribution difficulties early on that it overcame largely by expanding its roster of live games. Ovation, which has about 46.5 million subscribers, had a major distribution challenge in 2013 when it lost Time Warner Cable carriage, but it regained that key affiliate in January 2014. 

Malkin also has held network-affiliate distribution posts at Fox News, E! Entertainment Television and MTV Networks. 

Ovation’s senior vice president of content distribution and partnerships Mike Pons and VP of affiliate marketing Randy Rovegno report to Malkin.

Ovation TV will celebrate the life and music of Johnny Cash on what would have been the legendary singer's 83rd birthday.

The arts network on Feb. 26 will feature a marathon of documentaries that focus on Cash’s life, his biggest hits, and the making of the iconic album "Folsom Prison Blues," plus the concert film of his subsequent jailhouse performance at San Quentin Prison.

Born in 1932, Cash is largely perceived as a country music star, but whose career encompasses multiple genres , as evidenced by his inductions in the Country Music, Rock n’ Roll, and Gospel Halls of Fames.

Here are Ovation's descriptions of the Cash fare on Feb. 26 (all times ET):

1 p.m. – Music Mavericks: Johnny Cash

Music Mavericks, a series that focuses on the most influential stars of modern music, shines the spotlight on “The Man in Black” and features behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and performances to tell the story of his exceptional life and career.

1:30 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “I Walk The Line” 

Cash’s first Billboard hit was recorded at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis.  It stayed on the charts for 43 weeks and sold 2 million copies.  This episode reveals Johnny’s early struggles to find his voice.

2 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “Ring of Fire” 

One of the biggest hits of Cash’s career stayed at #1 for seven weeks. It was written by his future wife June Carter and first recorded by her sister Anita.  Discover how a dream Cash had revealed a way for him to turn this love song into a huge hit.

2:30 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “Jackson” 

Written by Broadway Legend Jerry Lieber, "Jackson" tells the story of a married couple trying to reignite their passion.  The hit worked for Johnny and June.  They were married one year after recording the song.

3 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue” 

Johnny Cash wasn’t sure about this quirky tune so he tested it on a "captive audience" during his concert at San Quentin prison.  The inmates loved it so much the song was included on the live album.

3:30 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “Sunday Morning Coming Down” 

The original hangover anthem was written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson in 1969.  Kris reveals why Cash wanted to cover this song that was already a hit and how Johnny came to perform it during an episode of Columbo.

4 p.m. – Song by Song: Johnny Cash, “Hurt” 

One of Cash's final and most unlikely hits, this painful ballad was written and first performed by superstar Trent Reznor. The Nine Inch Nails front man explains why he was reluctant to allow Johnny to record the song.

4:30 p.m. – Music Mavericks: Johnny Cash (repeat)

5 p.m. – Johnny Cash in San Quentin

This now-famous concert film features Johnny Cash’s ground-breaking performance for the inmates of San Quentin Prison. Cash performs “A Boy Named Sue,” “Blue Suede Shoes” and “I Walk the Line.” The concert, when released as an album, received many accolades and award nominations for Cash.

6 p.m. – Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison – This documentary film looks at the impact of Johnny Cash's legendary performance at Folsom Prison in California. 

Ovation TV has hired Mike Pons, a former Cox Communications business development executive, as senior vice president of content distribution, managing key national accounts, and promoted its head of programming and production Scott Woodward to executive vice president.

Pons (pictured), who had been general manager, business development, at Cox, will be responsible for managing relationships with national accounts including DirecTV, Dish, AT&T U-verse and Charter Communications. He will also help develop overall strategy for maximizing distribution and revenue of Ovation’s various platforms and will oversee international and digital content distribution strategies. He is based in Santa Monica, Calif., and reports to Brad Samuels, EVP of content distribution.

Pons also co-founded, launched and served as general manager of Essential Cloud, a commercial cloud services company. Prior to Cox, he was VP and general manager of The Weather Channel Local Media. He also worked at Univision Communications, clicktex.com and JP Morgan Chase.

Woodward joined Ovation in November 2013 and has helped ramp up the network’s original programming slate, including such series as The Fashion Fund, Song by Song and A Young Doctor’s Notebook. Ovation said he is focused on introducing new series and specials in 2015, including On the Record with Mick Rock, American Canvas, The Artful Detective and the U.S. premiere of Isabella Rossellini’s Green Porno Live!

Ovation TV has acquired the rights to a documentary chronicling actress Isabella Rossellini’s one-woman show Green Porno Live!, the network said Monday.

The documentary, which will air on Ovation in Spring 2015, will follow the international star as she prepares for her show, based on her short film catalog Green Porno which looks at the mating habits of animals. Sundance Channel aired a series based on the short Green Porno films, which are a longtime source of inspiration for the famed model and actress.

“Don’t let Isabella Rossellini’s quiet elegance fool you for one second! In her live show, she explains animal reproduction like you’ve never seen it before,” says Scott Woodward, senior vice president of programming and production for Ovation TV, in a statement. “This documentary shows the evolution of her incredibly original Green Pornos, from short films to stage show, and how she prepares her costumes, works on dialogue, and deals with the technical and logistical issues. She controls it all. It’s her passion project and Ovation TV is the perfect home for this wildly comic and entertaining special.”