TNT Pays $17 Million for 300
 

Variety reports that TNT has acquired cable rights to 300 for $17 million.

The trade says that Warner Bros. Domestic Cable TV had talked to a number of other cable networks but settled on TNT when it agreed to take the movie for only a three-year license term instead of the usual four- or five-year deal.

TNT also will allow Warner Bros. to carve out a window to sell 300 to another network, broadcast or cable, after the first year of the TNT deal.

In exchange, Warner Bros. will allow TNT to funnel 300 to its video-on-demand platform for a few months during the three-year term, a concession the network pushed for because cable operators like Comcast are demanding robust VOD spinoffs of every basic-cable network. At the insistence of Warner Bros., these VOD services will not cost subscribers any extra monthly fees.

Although 300 is laced with hard-R-rated violence, TNT said it will be able to edit out the most extreme blood and gore without harming the movie's integrity.

TNT gets 300 for its first burst of multiple runs in September 2009, a few months after the movie completes its first 18-month window on HBO.

300 hits DVD, Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD on July 31st.

What a waste of money...Not that the movie was bad, but with DVD sales of the movie expected to be "hot", aren't there better ways for a network to spend such a huge amount of money?