Fox Nation is planning to run promos for Chris Harrison’s new dating series, The Vow, in local ad inventory on ABC stations in roughly a dozen markets, a move that puts the campaign inside the very network tied to his past TV life. The spots are expected in markets including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, even after Warner Bros. Television sent a cease-and-desist letter objecting to the way the show was being sold.
The timing matters because the promos are part of the rollout for a series that is set to debut November 11 on Fox Nation. In the promo, Harrison says, “I believe in true love,” and then adds, “Always have.” The end graphic points viewers to the November 11 debut, making the ad buy more than a tease; it is the first public push for the series in markets where ABC stations still carry local commercial inventory.
Warner Bros. Television’s complaint, sent September 18, did not object to Harrison hosting a dating show. It objected to what it called a “plain attempt to capitalize on and ‘ride on the coattails’ of WB’s instantly recognizable intellectual property and the Franchise’s goodwill,” and it said the earlier promos were built around visual and creative references to The Bachelor. The company added that it had no objection to Fox and Lionsgate releasing a dating show hosted by Harrison in and of itself, only to the way it had been promoted.
Fox Nation answered on September 24 that Warner Bros.’ letter “appears designed not to vindicate legitimate copyright and trademark interests, but to restrict FOX Nation and Chris Harrison from promoting a competing dating show.” It said it was “unfortunate” that Warner Bros. was targeting Harrison in what it called a “malicious and vindictive” way. The friction is over the promotional packaging, not the existence of the series itself.
That leaves the ad placement as the real test. Buying local inventory on stations can put commercials on air even when the national network side of the business is hostile to the message, and that tactic has long been used around disputes over promotional access. Here, the question is whether the spots actually run as planned on the ABC stations, or whether the cease-and-desist fight changes the rollout before The Vow reaches viewers. For now, the clearest next date is November 11, when the show is scheduled to arrive on Fox Nation.
