5:14:00 AM
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SANTA MONICA, Calif. and NEW YORK and MIAMI, Nov. 3, 2016
-- Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the premier next generation
global content leader, and Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: HMTV), a
leading U.S. and Latin American owner and operator of Spanish-language
pay television and broadcast networks, announced today that Hemisphere
is joining Lionsgate in the first-ever Spanish-language SVOD movie
service for the growing, digital-savvy Hispanic audience in the U.S.
The service plans to launch next year.
Hemisphere, which operates five leading U.S. Hispanic channels, two
Latin American pay television networks and the leading broadcast network
in Puerto Rico (WAPA), will take a
minority equity stake in the venture and leverage its library of
hundreds of popular Spanish-language titles. Hemisphere's channels rank
among the most popular Spanish-language cable television networks in
the U.S.
The Hemisphere movie library encompasses one of the largest
selections of contemporary Spanish-language blockbusters and
critically-acclaimed titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain
and the Caribbean. Its content, coupled with Spanish-language hits
from Pantelion Films, Lionsgate's joint venture with Televisa, and Hollywood
films from Lionsgate's 16,000-title library and other catalogs dubbed
into Spanish, will give the service an unmatchable portfolio of
world-class product.
Pantelion Films, the first major Hollywood Latino studio, has rights to more than 70% of the top-grossing films from Mexico over the past five years, including such blockbusters as Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S., the animated hit Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos, and the comedy No Manches Frida,
a breakout hit in the U.S. and Mexico. The venture's streaming
platform will be the exclusive first SVOD/pay television window for
Pantelion movies.
As announced previously, the venture will capitalize on the marketing
and distribution expertise of Univision Communications Inc., which will
offer the new service to cable and satellite operators individually, as
well as in tandem with its own Univision NOW, a subscription service
for its broadcast networks Univision and UniMas. Univision will also
license titles from its classic Latino cinema library to the new
service.
"The addition of Hemisphere and its deep library of titles
significantly expands the content offerings of a platform that is
positioned to become the leading Spanish-language premium movie service
in the U.S.," said Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer. "We're pleased to welcome Alan Sokol, Jim McNamara
and the Hemisphere team to a partnership that combines great content,
rich experience serving the Latino movie-going audience and a dynamic
market opportunity."
"We're excited to be partnering with Lionsgate to help launch the
definitive streaming service for the millions of Spanish-language movie
lovers in the U.S., who traditionally over-index on media consumption,"
said Hemisphere CEO Alan Sokol. "The
service brings together many of the top names in Hispanic media and will
offer an unparalleled collection of world-class movies and a compelling
way for Spanish-speaking and bilingual consumers to access it."
The new premium movie service joins a growing portfolio of Lionsgate
SVOD services that already includes Tribeca Shortlist, launched with
Tribeca Enterprises last fall, Comic-Con HQ, which debuted in July, and
the Laugh Out Loud comedy platform featuring original content from
superstar Kevin Hart which premieres next year.
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a
diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution,
television programming and syndication, home entertainment,
international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms,
interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The
Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning
its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses.
These include the ground-breaking hit series Orange is the New Black, the fan favorite drama series Nashville, the syndication success The Wendy Williams Show, the hit drama series The Royals, the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual and the breakout success Greenleaf.
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, Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween, Nerve, CBS Films/Lionsgate's Hell or High Water, Sicario, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films' Addicted and 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.
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 approximately 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 and Summit brands remain
synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets
around the world. www.lionsgate.com
About Hemisphere Media Group, Inc.
Hemisphere Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HMTV) is the only publicly
traded pure-play U.S. media company targeting the high growth
Spanish-language television and cable networks business in the U.S. and Latin America. Headquartered in Miami, Florida,
Hemisphere owns and operates five leading U.S. Hispanic cable networks,
two Latin American cable networks, and the leading broadcast television
network in Puerto Rico. Hemisphere's networks consist of:
Cinelatino, the leading Spanish-language movie channel with over 17.5 million subscribers across the U.S., Latin America and Canada, including 4.6 million subscribers in the U.S. and 13.0 million subscribers in Latin America, featuring the largest selection of contemporary Spanish-language blockbusters and critically-acclaimed titles from Mexico, Latin America, Spain and the Caribbean.
WAPA, Puerto Rico's leading broadcast television network with the highest primetime and full day ratings in Puerto Rico. Founded in 1954, WAPA produces more than 75 hours per week of top-rated news and entertainment programming.
WAPA America, the leading cable network targeting Puerto Ricans and
other Caribbean Hispanics living in the U.S., featuring the highly-rated
news and entertainment programming produced by WAPA. WAPA America is
distributed in the U.S. to 5.2 million subscribers.
Pasiones, dedicated to showcasing the most popular telenovelas and drama series, distributed in the U.S. and Latin America. Pasiones has 4.5 million subscribers in the U.S. and 11.1 million subscribers in Latin America.
Centroamerica TV, the leading network targeting Central Americans
living in the U.S., the third-largest U.S. Hispanic group, featuring the
most popular news, entertainment and soccer programming from Central America. Centroamerica TV is distributed in the U.S. to 4.1 million subscribers.
Television Dominicana, the leading network targeting Dominicans
living in the U.S., featuring the most popular news, entertainment and
baseball programming from the Dominican Republic. Television Dominicana is distributed in the U.S. to 3.2 million subscribers.
Contact:
For Media inquiries, please contact:
Lionsgate
Peter Wilkes
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
Hemisphere
Erica Bartsch
Sloane & Company
212-446-1875
ebartsch@sloanepr.com
SOURCE Lionsgate
