Starz Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television Announce Exclusive Long-Term Library and Video on Demand Deal

Starz Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television Announce Exclusive Long-Term Library and Video on Demand Deal

Agreement Fortifies Starz as Leading Movie Provider on Premium TV, VOD and Broadband Platforms

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and CULVER CITY, Calif., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television, today announced an exclusive agreement that provides Starz Entertainment with the rights to more than 500 top movie titles from the Sony library. The deal allows Starz Entertainment to offer the content on multiple distribution platforms, including its 16 linear channels, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) offerings and the broadband video download service, Vongo. The agreement was announced by Starz Entertainment's Stephan Shelanski, senior vice president, programming and John Weiser, president, distribution for Sony Pictures Television.

The library deal runs from 2008 to 2014 and provides Starz Entertainment's flagship Starz and Encore channels exclusive rights to an attractive selection of Sony's library films, however the VOD deal for Vongo begins in October 2006. Starz and Encore, which deliver premium television programming to 15.1 million and 27.1 million homes respectively through cable, satellite and telco providers and its other advanced services, are already the exclusive first-run premium cable channel outlet for all of Sony Pictures Entertainment's films; this new deal broadens that relationship.

Under the terms of the agreement, Starz Entertainment will have access to hits such as both "Spider-Man," "Men in Black" and "Bad Boy" movies as well as Oscar(R)-winners "Gandhi," "As Good as It Gets," "Jerry Maguire" and "Philadelphia." In addition, the wide library of titles also includes such modern classics as "The Big Chill," "Groundhog Day" "Sleepless in Seattle" and "Taxi Driver," Western classics "Major Dundee" and "The Professionals" and animated film "Stuart Little."

The Sony library content will join Vongo's robust selection of subscription movies available for unlimited broadband downloads. The deal enables Vongo to offer Sony's big Hollywood hits and other great films for pay-per-view (PPV) rental. Hit movies, such as "The Da Vinci Code" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby," will be offered to all Vongo customers in the traditional PPV window.

"This partnership with Sony Pictures Television validates our position as a leader in movie entertainment and demonstrates our strategy to make a whole range of recent and beloved content available to our subscribers on all of our platforms," said Shelanski. "We are pleased to offer our subscribers access to Sony's extensive library of theatrical films that includes content from 'Gandhi' to 'Ghostbusters' to 'Godzilla,' via cable, or satellite, VOD and over broadband."

"We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Starz," said John Weiser, president, distribution, for Sony Pictures Television. "Starz is capitalizing on the incredible opportunities provided by the depth and variety of the titles Sony can deliver, which will enhance their linear and broadband VOD businesses."

"This agreement expands and strengthens the pipeline of great films coming to Vongo subscribers for many years," said Bob Greene, executive vice president, advanced services, Starz Entertainment. "Furthermore, we are pleased to add greater depth to the PPV lineup for those subscribers and non-subscribers who wish to rent individual films."

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

About Sony Pictures Television

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 25 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Sony Pictures Television, advertiser sales, is one of the premier national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT syndicated series and for Indemand's high definition channel INHD. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

About Starz Entertainment

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 15.1 million and 27.1 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and Vongo(SM). Starz Entertainment is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group (NASDAQ:LCAPA)(NASDAQ:LCAPB), www.starz.com.

About Vongo

Vongo offers subscribers unlimited access to more than 2,000 movies and video selections for $9.99 per month and also offers select PPV titles for $3.99.

Contacts:
Chelsye J. Burrows
VP, Programming Publicity
Starz Entertainment
720.852.5838
chelsye.burrows@starz.com

Eric Becker
Executive Director, Corporate Communications
Starz Entertainment
720.852.4065
eric.becker@starz.com

Paula Askanas
SVP, Media Relations & Promotion
Sony Pictures Television
310.244.3790
Paula_Askanas@spe.sony.com

Jonathan Taylor
Senior Vice President
The Lippin Group
323.965.1990
jtaylor@lippingroup.com

Source: Starz Entertainment

CONTACT: Chelsye J. Burrows, VP, Programming Publicity, +1-720-852-5838,
chelsye.burrows@starz.com, or Eric Becker, Executive Director, Corporate
Communications, +1-720-852-4065, eric.becker@starz.com, both of Starz
Entertainment; or Paula Askanas, SVP, Media Relations & Promotion of Sony
Pictures Television, +1-310-244-3790, Paula_Askanas@spe.sony.com; or Jonathan
Taylor, Senior Vice President of The Lippin Group, +1-323-965-1990,
jtaylor@lippingroup.com, for Starz Entertainment

Web site: http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com/

Web site: http://www.starz.com/

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