"Is WB staple Buffy the Vampire Slayer switching networks?"
Source: Mr. Showbiz
Date: 10.13.00
Such rumors have been rumbling in the background for some time, and now Entertainment Weekly reports that ABC is expressing interest in acquiring the Sarah Michelle Gellar-starring series. That is, if the WB won`t pony up the necessary dough to 20th Century Fox (the studio that produces the hormone-driven vamp show) in upcoming contract renegotiations. Fox is also reported to be interested in the series that launched a thousand quips.
The requested per-episode fee is likely to soar from $1 million to $2 million, which may put the WB out of the running on its own show.
According to an EW source, ABC Entertainment co-chair Stu Bloomberg is a big fan of the show. "He`s been trying to get [Buffy creator] Joss Whedon to create a show for them."
Kevin Brockman, senior vice president of publicity for ABC, tells Mr. Showbiz, "There`s no truth to that story, and I told Entertainment Weekly that." He adds, "These kinds of rumors always seem to come up around renegotiation time."
EW tells Mr. Showbiz, "We stand by our story."
Buffy is now in its fifth season, with ratings up 12 percent among adults 18 to 34, and just posted its best-ever ratings among its target demo, young women.