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A+E Networks Settles Lawsuit with Big Fish Entertainment and Reelz

A+E Networks has reached a settlement in its lawsuit against Big Fish Entertainment and the cable network Reelz regarding their series On Patrol: Live, but the resolution is somewhat unconventional.

The settlement includes a multi-year licensing agreement between A+E Networks and Amazon, which owns Big Fish. This deal will allow a selection of titles from the A&E cable channel to be available on Amazon’s Prime Video. Additionally, it will extend the availability of current A&E FAST channels on Prime Video and introduce new ones.

According to a joint statement from A+E Networks and Amazon, “A+E Networks and Amazon have agreed to significantly expand their commercial relationship in a multi-year agreement that will amplify the reach of A+E Networks’ brands and content on Amazon’s Prime Video service.” The statement also confirmed that the legal dispute involving A+E, Big Fish Entertainment, and Reelz pertaining to Live PD has been resolved.

In August 2022, A+E Networks filed a lawsuit against Big Fish and Reelz, alleging that On Patrol: Live was a copy of A&E’s earlier series Live PD. This former show was A&E’s most-watched program for several years until it was canceled in 2020 following nationwide protests against police brutality and the emergence of details about a Live PD crew filming an arrest in Williamson County, Texas, that resulted in the death of Javier Ambler in 2019. Subsequently, Texas enacted a law prohibiting law enforcement agencies from collaborating with television producers to film officers “for the purpose of creating a reality television show.”

The copyright infringement lawsuit argued that On Patrol: Live bore significant similarities to Live PD (with Dan Abrams hosting both shows) and that Reelz had marketed the new series as a “return” or “relaunch” of the original show.

Last year, a federal judge rejected a motion to dismiss the case, allowing A+E Networks’ claims to proceed.

The Amazon licensing agreement will also increase the availability of A&E add-on subscriptions for Prime Video users in the United States and Japan, and it will extend the licensing for renting A&E shows and movies on demand via Prime Video in multiple countries.

Person

Javier Ambler, Dan Abrams

Company Names

A+E Networks, Big Fish Entertainment, Reelz, Amazon

Titles

On Patrol: Live, Live PD

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