LIONSGATE UK TAKES EQUITY STAKE IN UK-BASED POTBOILER TELEVISION

LONDON, Jan. 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Diversified filmed entertainment company Lionsgate UK took another step in ramping up its television business as it announced today an equity investment in Andrea Calderwood (The Last King of Scotland, HBO's Generation Kill) and Gail Egan's (The Constant Gardener) new high end television drama company, Potboiler Television.  Lionsgate will partner with the renowned producers on their expanding television slate and has also signed a first-look deal for global distribution of Potboiler's television product.

The deal marks the latest step in the continued global expansion of Lionsgate's television business.  In the UK, the Company has recently invested in production companies Primal Media & Kindle Entertainment, co-financed the hit Channel 4 comedy Damned and hired leading ITV executive Steve November as Creative Director of UK Television.

The investment into the new television arm, Potboiler Television builds upon the relationship between Lionsgate and Potboiler Productions, who have collaborated on several successful film projects including Alan Rickman's acclaimed feature film A Little Chaos, starring Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts, Trespass Against Us, a feature film slated for March 2017 release in the UK starring Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson, and the critically-acclaimed A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdam, released in the US in partnership with Lionsgate's sister company Roadside Attractions.

Zygi Kamasa, CEO of Lionsgate's European office commented, "Lionsgate UK has a reputation for boldly supporting British product and talent, investing more in its home territory than any other distributor. This partnership with Andrea and Gail, two renowned film and television producers, and the Potboiler team deepens that commitment and extends both companies' diversification into scripted television product created for a global audience."

"Potboiler is an acclaimed film brand now bringing its focus to thought-provoking and entertaining television dramas with world-class talent," said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs.  "This deal is a perfect example of the building blocks Zygi Kamasa and his team are assembling as they develop a robust television business alongside their premier film brand.  We look forward to collaborating with them in creating premium quality programming for audiences in the UK, the U.S. and around the world."

"We're proud to grow our relationship with Zygi Kamasa and the Lionsgate UK team, with whom we've partnered on a number of successful films, as we grow the new television company and to leverage the great talent relationships we have in common," said Calderwood and Egan.  "Lionsgate and Potboiler have similar entrepreneurial cultures and a shared vision of the opportunities that lie ahead of us in reaching a global television audience."

One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate's slate encompasses nearly 90 series on 40 different U.S. networks, including the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, fan favorite Nashville, which is achieving record ratings on CMT, Casual, The Royals, Greenleaf and Graves along with eagerly-anticipated new series such as Dear White People for Netflix, White Famous for Showtime, Step Up for YouTube Red, Kicking & Screaming for Fox and Candy Crush for CBS.

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Executive Vice President TV Operations & Corporate Development Laura Kennedy and Alexandra Keen, Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs together with Reno Antoniades and Oliver Shipton for Potboiler.  Consultant Marc Lorber brought the deal into Lionsgate UK.

For Further information please contact:
Lorna Mann: LMann@lionsgatefilms.co.uk  

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a vertically integrated next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, premium pay television networks, home entertainment, global distribution and sales, interactive ventures and games and location-based entertainment.

With the acquisition of Starz, Lionsgate adds to its portfolio of businesses the flagship STARZ premium pay network serving nearly 25 million subscribers and the STARZ ENCORE platform with over 31 million subscribers.  The combined company will operate five over-the-top (OTT) streaming services and the STARZ app delivering content directly to consumers.

The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me and John Wick series, the critically-acclaimed box office hit La La Land, which earned a record-tying 14 Academy Award® nominations, Hacksaw Ridge, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, CBS Films/Lionsgate's Hell or High Water, Roadside Attractions' Manchester by the Sea, Codeblack Films' breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate's slate of premium quality series encompasses nearly 90 shows on more than 40 different networks.  These include the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama The Royals, the acclaimed Casual, the breakout success Greenleaf and hit Starz series including Outlander, Black Sails, Survivor's Remorse and Power, the second highest-rated premium pay television series of 2016.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates.  Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of more than 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and Starz brands are synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com

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SOURCE Lionsgate