ABC Family nabs ‘The Hunger Games’ television rights

By Andrew Sims (@Sims) at 7:30 pm, March 13, 2012

Though it’s still not in theaters (less than two weeks away!), the television rights for The Hunger Games have been sold.

You’ll be able to watch the film endlessly on ABC Family beginning in 2014.

If you can’t wait to watch it until then once it hits theaters, it will of course be on DVD/Blu-ray later this year.

Thanks to The Wrap!

View the latest articles in: The Hunger Games

Jason

One way or another, Disney finds ways to RULE THE WORLD.
TheOneAndOnlyCliche

I thought that this meant there’d be a TV show too. And honestly, I used to fancy the idea of a TV adaption more than a film adaption. But alas.
Drew

OMG….just think about it. If Disney has some involvement, to challenge Universals WWOHP, a Hunger Games theme park. Like the Capitol or something.
- Jeff D.
  
  I’m not sure if I’m reading your comment right or not. But Disney has no involvement in the movies. They ONLY have the rights to air the movie on TV. They have no involvement in how the movie is made, promoted, or any part of the franchise (such as a theme park, as you mentioned).
  - Kate
    
    Just wanted to mention that just because Disney doesn’t have an involvement in a film/franchise doesn’t mean it doesn’t show up in the parks. I may be mistaken, but I don’t think they were involved in Avatar or Star Wars, both of which show up in the parks. So if they coughed up the money (which I imagine they would) they could incorporate The Hunger Games into one of their parks, with permission from..whoever they have to get it from. I’m not sure if that’s what the original commenter was getting at or not, though.
    - Jeff D.
      
      Yeah, you make a great point. That could very well happen in the future. But my point was that this announcement today on the TV rights at the moment has nothing to do with a possible ride or park.
- Erika Vega
  
  I don’t like the idea of a theme park one bit. It doesn’t feel appropriate to the message of the books. Whether they build the capitol, the arena or even the districts, you’ll be glorifying and commercializing something that actually meant to be condemned. Even the marketing and merchandising for these films have to carefully walk the line of betraying the spirit of the story and giving into the glamour of the games.
Sapph

Woah, in 2014 we’ll have Catching Fire too, and maybe Mockingjay. Is surrealist.
Erika Vega

Ha-so eventually, like their current Harry Potter marathon weekends, they will have full Hunger Game weekends where we can watch all these movies again with deleted scenes and special features. I guess Disney isn’t afraid these films may be too violent. They never sought the rights for Twilight, did they? Who has those? I don’t think I’ve heard of a Twilight weekend on tv. I find this somewhat amusing. Glad there is so much faith in Hunger Games and look forward its successful future in the theaters, on dvd and on ABC family.
- Jeff D.
  
  FX has the rights to Twilight and has aired the 1st movie at least a handful of times already, not sure how much, though.
- http://www.eigakanthemovietheater.blogspot.com Jenny Leigh
  
  I love HP weekends! Even though I own the movies :p
- Liderc
  
  I think FX has those, saw twilight on FX this weekend.
Stagegirl12

When I saw the headline I thought it was talking about a Hunger Games television show and I silently freaked out (not in a good way). This is fine though, but for future reference please never have there be a Hunger Games television show.
- http://twitter.com/myridehome Carla
  
  Me too! For like a good minute, I was like “nooooooooo”, but then I remembered that Twilight resurrected the vampire genre, and thus Sookie Stackhouse and The Vampire Diaries TV adaptations were born. I’m not opposed to it as long as it’s done properly and written well.
  
  Otherwise, no.
  - Gary65
    
    Are you crazy? No under any circumstances. It’s a tad too literal for my taste. the very idea of a Hunger Games TV show makes me feel ill.
    - Liderc
      
      I actually think a TV show would have been an even better way to explain these books. It sounds crazy, but think of the cliff hangers you could leave during the games. You could build up someones character who’s in the game and then they would be killed. I think it would work as a show, but obviously budgets are a lot less in television which leads to cheesier acting/sets.
      - Gary65
        
        I have no doubt it would work but, given the whole point of how gross the Capitol is for watching and enjoying the Hunger Games, I think a TV show would be all kinds of twisted and backwards and weird and……..no.
    - http://twitter.com/myridehome Carla
      
      I’m probably biased because I generally prefer TV over film. You could develop the characters and plot much more when you have 22 episodes versus the one movie. It’s really not about watching kids kill each other off, it’s about what goes on in their mind, their reactions… and the very idea of survival as a topic. I’m not saying it should end up on HBO with nudity and graphic violence, etc. But there’s a lot to be learned in a dystopia – courage, rebellion and humanity being very inspiring traits.
      
      Then again, we all like different things. So maybe not :)
- Gary65
  
  Oops. Too late :(
dkgfgsjer

why do all of these comments have something to do with disney? am i missing something?
- Corrina
  
  ABC and all of it’s channels are owned by Disney.
- http://www.facebook.com/iDomi Domi Ed
  
  ABC is part of Disney. ABC Family is obviously another network run by ABC.
  I feel like I’m forgetting something, I want to use a word I can’t think of…
  
  But point is , ABC & Disney = Same People
  ( if you want a better understanding, Google’s your friend)
  - dkgfgsjer
    
    thank you!
http://twitter.com/Factuality Factuality

This seems an odd choice. I hope they won’t edit out the intense bits!
- akacj18
  
  i bet they made their bid after seeing the movie the other day along with all the critics and other press. for something as hyped up as THG, i’m sure they were crossing their fingers it would be appropriate for their channel, and sounds like it is, or is very close to being so.
- Liderc
  
  When they shoot films they also shoot alternate scenes for the TV syndication so that they can edit them in when it goes to television. It’s a very big deal for movies (especially franchises) to be capable of being shown on regular tv.
http://llama-attack.tumblr.com/ es1831

ABC Family’s HUNGER GAMES WEEKEND!!! lol
guest

HUNGER GAMES WEEKEND!
DreamNox58

I also thought they meant like a TV series, I about to shoot someone.
http://twitter.com/taylie27 Taylore Thompson

Why do I have a feeling in couple weeks there will be a Harry Potter weekend, with “exclusive behind the scenes content from the Hunger Games!”
- Jeff D.
  
  The movie comes out next week so it’d be pointless to provide HG content w/ HP weekend in a couple week from now. If they want to do something like that, they’d wait a while.
- LilyLuna
  
  Potter weekend starts today, but I haven’t heard anything about THG clips in any of the advertising thus far.
Malea

i still think it’s kind of stupid we have to wait until 2014!! anyone know why, exactly? is it some sort of marketing scheme?
- gcw07
  
  That is just how long it usually takes to get it on basic cable. Basically it goes theater, dvd/blu-ray, premium channels, basic cable. So say it is out on dvd/blu-ray in July 2012. That means it will probably be on premium channels in August 2012. So your looking at a year and a half wait, which seems way too long, but seems standard unfortunately.
nodaybut2day7

Do you know what this means?

HARRY POTTER HUNGER GAMES MARATHON WEEKEND :)
- Corrine Clapp
  
  *GASP*
  
  OMG :O
Hehedied

That sounds awesome. I hope they don’t split Mokingjay so it will also be out 2014
- http://www.facebook.com/muzikteacher2B Johnny Moniz
  
  …Mockingjay is already gonna be split. Don’t get those hopes up too high now.
Bridget

time for hunger games weekend
Caroline

I’m confused. Does this mean ABC is the only station legally able to play the movie once it comes out?
- LilyLuna
  
  Pretty much. That’s how it is with Potter, although HBO has the rights to premiere Potter films on television before they are passed down to ABC family, that’s why it takes so long (HBP only started airing on ABC family in December 2011, two and a half years after the theatrical release).
Holly

here comes the three hours of commercials and two hours of actualy movie time…
Blahblahblah

I smell Hunger Games Weekend.
Kavitha

So, alternating HP and HG movie weekends? I’m completely fine with that!

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ABC Family nabs ‘The Hunger Games’ television rights

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