Heroes Never Die ... They Just Re-Load on Spike TV

Heroes Never Die ... They Just Re-Load on Spike TV

Spike TV To Broadcast Basic Cable Television Premiere of "Rambo"

Network Acquires Rights to Five-Film Action Package from Lionsgate, Including First Three Films In The "Rambo" Saga

NEW YORK and SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the silver screen's most legendary action heroes, "Rambo," has found his perfect television home, Spike TV. Academy Award(R) nominee Sylvester Stallone ("Rocky") brings one of male action fans' all-time cinematic heroes, John Rambo, to Spike with all four Rambo films, including the basic cable television broadcast premiere of the latest installment, "Rambo." Rambo headlines a total package of five action films sold to Spike by Lionsgate (NYSE:LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio. Rambo was produced and distributed by Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO )

"John Rambo might very well be the envy of every Spike guy," remarked John Griffin, vice president, programming, Spike TV. "He's not just the toughest guy on the planet, but he uses his incredible military acumen in the name of justice."

"Rambo headlines a package of five action films that we are thrilled to deliver to Spike TV," said Lionsgate Executive Vice President Television Sales Rand Stoll. "Spike TV offers the perfect audience for Rambo, and the delivery of this package reflects our continued momentum in monetizing our slate of current theatrical releases and filmed entertainment library product through strong television sales."

Spike TV will have exclusive ad-supported cable television rights in staggered windows to "Rambo" for four years beginning in June, 2010. "Rambo" is a presentation of Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company in association with Millennium Films. "Rambo" is produced by Avi Lerner, Kevin King Templeton and John Thompson. It is based on the character created by David Morrell and is written by Art Monterastelli and Sylvester Stallone.

The 2008 box office hit features Rambo on a mission to save a group of Christian aid workers who have been kidnapped by Burmese soldiers. The action-packed film holds the record with the most kills out of the entire "Rambo" series, with 236 kills and an average of 2.59 kills per minute.

Spike has also acquired rights to the first three "Rambo" movies, beginning with "Rambo: First Blood," premiering this Memorial Day Weekend.

"Rambo: First Blood" launches on Spike Saturday, May 24 at 9:00pm ET/PT featuring decorated Vietnam veteran John Rambo, who is abused by a small town's police force and proceeds to launch a one man war with it. "Rambo: First Blood Part II" will begin its run on Spike in January 2010, and follows Rambo on his journey back to Vietnam to free American POWs. In March 2011, Rambo III will launch on Spike as Rambo's Vietnam commanding officer Colonel Trautman (Richard Crenna) is held hostage in Afghanistan, and it's up to Rambo to rescue him.

Spike TV is available in 96.1 million homes and is a division of MTV Networks. A unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA)(NYSE:VIA.B), MTV Networks is one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV's Internet address is www.spike.com.

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio and a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. Its prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion pictures and television episodes is a valuable source of 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 globe.

Photo: NewsCom:

http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060322/NYW096LOGO
AP Archive:

http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Spike TV

CONTACT: David Schwarz, +1-212-767-8639, david.schwarz@mtvstaff.com, or
Jenni Runyan, +1-310-407-4771, jenni.runyan@mtvstaff.com, both of Spike TV;
or Peter D. Wilkes, +1-310-255-3726, pwilkes@lionsgate.com, or Kelli
Easterling, +1-310-255-4929, keasterling@lionsgate.com, both of Lionsgate

Web site:

http://www.spike.com/

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