Lionsgate Acquires Exclusive United States Home Entertainment Distribution Rights to LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE in Deal With Imavision Distribution, Inc.
Lionsgate Acquires Exclusive United States Home Entertainment Distribution Rights to LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE in Deal With Imavision Distribution, Inc.
Agreement Encompasses All 208 Original Episodes of the Emmy(TM) Award-Winning Series Starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert; Distribution Expected to Begin April 2007
Comprehensive Deal Also Provides Lionsgate With the Distribution Rights to Imavision's Library Including JERRY SPRINGER UNCUT, GAME SHOW MOMENTS GONE BANANAS! and High Profile Telenovelas
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, announced today it has entered into a deal with Imavision Distribution, Inc. that provides the studio with the exclusive United States home entertainment distribution rights to the highly successful television family drama LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. Through the agreement, Lionsgate obtains the rights to all 208 episodes of the Emmy(TM) Award-winning television program, which aired on NBC from 1974-1983. The first releases from Lionsgate of the long running series -- which starred Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert -- are expected to be available at retail this April. The deal was negotiated by Lionsgate Vice President of Acquisitions and Business Development, Malik Ducard and Wendy Jaffe, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs, and announced by Lionsgate President Steve Beeks.
The comprehensive agreement also grants Lionsgate the United States distribution rights to Imavision's US library of more than 30 titles including three volumes of JERRY SPRINGER UNCUT -- uncensored footage of the baddest, goofiest and wildest Jerry Springer episodes ever! GAME SHOW MOMENTS GONE BANANAS! is hosted by Ben Stein and features the most outrageously funny moments and rarely seen bloopers from classic game shows including "The Price Is Right," "Family Feud," "Match Game," and more. The catalog also includes a series of highly popular telenovelas, providing important contributions to Lionsgate's Spanish language title catalog as the studio continues its initiative to serve the fast-growing Latino market.
"LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE is one of the most beloved television series of all time and we see this acquisition as a valuable addition to our expansive library of high profile television programs," said Beeks. "The show is already a proven success on DVD as it generates millions of dollars in revenue annually and we have many programs planned that will optimize its success at retail."
"Imavision is extremely happy to have partnered with Lionsgate for its US Distribution," said Pierre Paquet, Imavision President. "We are particularly pleased that LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, currently one of the most successful classic TV series on DVD, will benefit from Lionsgate's proven expertise at maximizing results across all distribution channels. This outstanding programming, based on strong family values, has yet to reach its full sales potential."
LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE expands what is already one of the deepest television libraries in the home entertainment industry. Lionsgate distributes many of the most popular and successful programs of all-time in all genres including the Emmy(TM) Award-winning Showtime hit WEEDS, Emmy(TM) Award-winning WILL & GRACE, THE DEAD ZONE, ALF, Emmy(TM) Award-winning MOONLIGHTING, SAVED BY THE BELL and many more.
ABOUT LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE
A long-running drama based on the "Little House" series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder -- written in 1935 -- "Little House on the Prairie" follows the lives of the Ingalls family during the late 1800s. Often narrated by Laura, the series follows her farm upbringing from her childhood until her adulthood. Produced by NBC in association with Ed Friendly, the series aired from 1974- 1983 on NBC and starred Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls, Karen Grassle as Caroline Ingalls and Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls. The television series, which was set in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, was one of the few long-running successful dramatic family programs -- and is still in syndication today. Imavision obtained U.S. distribution rights for "Little House on the Prairie" from NBC in 2002.
ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2006 Best Picture Academy Award(R) for CRASH, generating two consecutive years of $300 million-plus domestic theatrical box office, operating a $500 million-plus home entertainment business and producing a broad slate of prime time television series for fiscal 2007. It is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 10,000 titles is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.
ABOUT IMAVISION
A recognized North American entertainment leader, Imavision has built an expansive catalogue of more than 350 titles of high quality, high-profile entertainment and a formidable distribution network that encompasses retail, online, mail order and all forms of direct marketing. Now in its 15th year of operation, Imavision has gained the reputation as Canada's 'go-to' home entertainment and broadcast distributor for film and television producers worldwide seeking to reach the North American and French-speaking European DVD and broadcast markets.
ABOUT NBC UNIVERSAL
NBC Universal Television Distribution is responsible for the global distribution of NBC Universal product to all forms of television throughout the world. This includes distribution of the current and library film and television product, including formats and non-scripted programming, in the pay, free, and basic markets, as well as the domestic syndication of first-run syndicated TV programs and theatrical and TV movie packages.
For further information, contact:
For Lionsgate:
Adam Fenton/Lauren McCabe
Bender/Helper Impact
212-689-6360
adam_fenton@bhimpact.com/lauren_mccabe@bhimpact.com
Jodie Magid/Jennifer Sandler
212-386-6885/310-255-4072
jmagid@lionsgate.com/jsandler@lionsgate.com
For corporate inquiries:
Peter Wilkes
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
For Imavision:
Tania Kertesz
514-333-1406
taniak@imavision.com
First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: Jsandler@lionsgate.com
Source: Lionsgate
CONTACT: Adam Fenton, adam_fenton@bhimpact.com, or Lauren McCabe,
lauren_mccabe@bhimpact.com, both of Bender/Helper Impact, +1-212-689-6360, for
Lionsgate; or Jodie Magid, +1-212-386-6885, jmagid@lionsgate.com, or Jennifer
Sandler, +1-310-255-4072, jsandler@lionsgate.com, both of Lionsgate, or
corporate inquiries, Peter Wilkes of Lionsgate, +1-310-255-3726,
pwilkes@lionsgate.com; or Tania Kertesz of Imavision, +1-514-333-1406,
taniak@imavision.com
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