AMC acquired the exclusive U.S. cable rights to the "Godfather" trilogy from Paramount Pictures for the next nine years starting in Jan. 2011 and ending in Dec. 2019. 

The deal gives AMC exclusive U.S. basic cable and On Demand rights to the iconic, critically-acclaimed franchise. It is the longest TV deal ever signed for "The Godfather" trilogy. 

Tom Halleen, AMC's senior vice president of programming and scheduling, announced the deal Tuesday. 

“The Godfather is recognized as one of the greatest sagas ever told on film, AMC is proud to be the exclusive long-term basic cable home to this incredible franchise, for the next decade," Halleen said. 

AMC's press release announcing the deal also said that it "underscores AMC’s commitment
of delivering premium television on basic cable." With the success of the retro ad agency drama, AMC's original series have increasingly [5] been competing for Emmys with the premium channels-- HBO and Showtime, 

The three "Godfather" films are based on a book by Mario Puzo. They tell the story of an Italian-American crime family over many years. At first, the family is led by Marlon Brando's Vito Corleone, but after his death, it was taken over by his son Michael, played by Al Pacino.  

The trilogy has a combined total of nine Oscar wins. "The Godfather," which came out in 1972, and "The Godfather: Part II," which was released two years later, both were Best Picture winners. "Part III" was released in 1990.