"Who Wants to be a Millionaire" was a No. 1 show for ABC. (Los Angeles Times) |
RIVERSIDE -- A federal jury has awarded nearly $269.2 million in damages to the creator of the TV game show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
Creator Celador International sued The Walt Disney Co. in 2004, claiming it had been denied its fair share of profits from the show.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired on the ABC network, which is owned by Disney, for three years beginning in the summer of 1999. It's still shown on local TV stations.
Celador said a series of "sweetheart deals" between Disney-owned companies kept the show from making a profit, even when it was a No. 1 show at the height of its popularity.
It claimed the case was a classic example of so-called "Hollywood accounting," where very popular TV shows somehow don't turn a profit.
Celador's attorneys provided evidence that "Millionaire" pulled in $515 million in revenue from license fees during it's prime-time run through 2002, as well as $70 million in merchandise.
The show also made nearly $1.8 billion in advertising for ABC, according to research firm Kantar Media.
But Disney's accounting shows that "Millionaire" has run a $73 million deficit.
Celador sked for $395 million in damages -- a figure based on what one expert said would be the fair market values of the show.
The U.K.-based company also claimed it was owned $10 million in revenue from the sale of "Millionaire" games and merchandise.
The jury arrived at a figure that was slightly less: $260 million in licensing fees and $9.2 million in money owed from the sale of merchandise.
Disney has said it plans to challenge the award.
"We believe this verdict is fundamentally wrong and will aggressively seek to have it reversed," Disney said in the statement.
Creator Celador International sued The Walt Disney Co. in 2004, claiming it had been denied its fair share of profits from the show.
"Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" aired on the ABC network, which is owned by Disney, for three years beginning in the summer of 1999. It's still shown on local TV stations.
Celador said a series of "sweetheart deals" between Disney-owned companies kept the show from making a profit, even when it was a No. 1 show at the height of its popularity.
It claimed the case was a classic example of so-called "Hollywood accounting," where very popular TV shows somehow don't turn a profit.
Celador's attorneys provided evidence that "Millionaire" pulled in $515 million in revenue from license fees during it's prime-time run through 2002, as well as $70 million in merchandise.
The show also made nearly $1.8 billion in advertising for ABC, according to research firm Kantar Media.
But Disney's accounting shows that "Millionaire" has run a $73 million deficit.
Celador sked for $395 million in damages -- a figure based on what one expert said would be the fair market values of the show.
The U.K.-based company also claimed it was owned $10 million in revenue from the sale of "Millionaire" games and merchandise.
The jury arrived at a figure that was slightly less: $260 million in licensing fees and $9.2 million in money owed from the sale of merchandise.
Disney has said it plans to challenge the award.
"We believe this verdict is fundamentally wrong and will aggressively seek to have it reversed," Disney said in the statement.
