'ET' empire expanding
'Insider on Showtime' spinoff bows next week
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As part of the reup, Blue has once again expanded her empire: "The Insider on Showtime," the first spinoff of the Pat O'Brien-hosted syndie strip, bows on feevee outlet Showtime next week.
Blue has been with "Entertainment Tonight" (and its sister weekend edition) for 11 years; the brand has since been extended to include "ET on MTV," "ET Canada," "ET to Go" and "The Insider."
"When you break a story on 'ET,' you don't just break it on this show -- it breaks on many platforms," she said. "'ET's clout is unwavering. It comes down to the clout of the TV show and its appeal to the audience."
Multi-year deal was spearheaded by Terry Wood, president of creative affairs and development at CBS Paramount Domestic TV and King World.
"She constantly pushes 'ET' and 'The Insider' ahead of the curve and has a knack for knowing exactly what viewers want to see," Wood said.
Salary terms were not disclosed, but Bell is likely being rewarded handsomely for the successful launch of "The Insider," a daily half-hour companion magazine for "ET" that has become an established revenue-generator since it kicked off in September 2004.
"The Insider on Showtime" begins next week as a three-minute interstitial to play regularly between Showtime's movies and series episodes. Each interstitial will feature two pieces (the premiere focuses on Janet Jackson and on the sitcom "Weeds"). O'Brien will also host the Showtime extension, which will get refreshed every two weeks.
Paramount spends more than $2 million a week combined on "ET" and "Insider," making them the most expensive series in first-run syndication. But their popularity among women swells their advertising revenues, helping to deliver tens of millions of dollars in annual profits to their CBS Paramount corporate parent.
