Comcast Acquires FEARNET

According to Deadline, the horror-themed channel, VOD service and website, FEARNET, has been bought out by Comcast. They report, "Comcast has bought out its partners in the joint venture — Sony Pictures Entertainment and Lionsgate Entertainment — to take 100% ownership. Following the transaction, which closed this morning, FEARnet will no longer be a stand-alone brand but will be folded into Comcast’s NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment division."

A spokesman for the company told Deadline yesterday, “NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment has acquired all remaining interests in FEARnet from its productive venture with Lionsgate and Sony. FEARnet, along with its popular content, will be integrated into NBCU Cable Entertainment. This process will take place over a yet to be determined period of time.”

The plan is for FEARNET "to be folded mainly into Comcast/NBCU Cable Entertainment’s similarly thriller, suspense and horror-focused Chiller, though some content could also migrate to Syfy." Launched in 2006 on Halloween as a three-way partnership between Comcast, Lionsgate and Sony, Deadline's source heard that "Lionsgate and Sony ultimately opted to monetize their minority stakes in what had been a noncore asset for them rather than continuing."

As stated, this is a process that will take time. We'll keep you posted on any new developments.

-Larissa Mrykalo