Extended Agreement Includes Multiple Existing Care Bears Series and Films and Packaged Media and Digital Rights to Additional Properties
SANTA MONICA, Calif., Jan. 9, 2013 /CNW/ - Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading global diversified entertainment company, and American Greetings Properties (AGP), the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM), today announced a home entertainment distribution agreement for the new CGI Animated TV series "Care Bears: Welcome to Care-a-Lot." The agreement gives Lionsgate packaged and digital rights in both the U.S. and UK to all 26 episodes of the series, which debuted on The Hub in 2012. In addition, the two companies are extending their existing contract, with Lionsgate retaining its rights to the two previous Care Bears television series and five Care Bears movies.
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Under the new agreement, Lionsgate will also distribute three additional American Greetings properties in the U.S. through packaged and digital media. The three series—the WETA produced show "The WotWots," "The Twisted Whiskers Show" and "Maryoku Yummy." Finally, Lionsgate will acquire U.S. digital rights to three seasons of the classic Strawberry Shortcake series.
"We have enjoyed tremendous success over the years with the Care Bears franchise and are pleased to extend our relationship with the new 'Care Bears: Welcome to Care-A-Lot' series. We look forward to helping the Brand grow to new heights with the combination of new entertainment content and American Greeting's new Care Bears toy launch in 2013," said Michael Rathauser, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Lionsgate. "Furthermore we are excited to have the opportunity to not only expand the Care Bears digital home entertainment footprint, but to also bring some of American Greetings' other quality children's entertainment to digital retailers for the first time; creating both new business opportunities and more awareness for these great brands."
"We are extremely honored to continue our partnership with Lionsgate," said Gia DeLaney, vice president of program sales for American Greetings Properties. "The Care Bears' highly-anticipated return to U.S. television in June was a huge success and we are thrilled to continue bringing the series to fans through innovative avenues."
About Lionsgate
Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of primetime cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets. Lionsgate currently has 25 shows on 18 networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses, including the multiple Emmy Award-winning Mad Men, the critically acclaimed series Weeds, Nurse Jackie and Boss, the new comedy Anger Management, which has been picked up for another 90 episodes by FX, the network series Nashville, picked up for a full season of 22 episodes by ABC, the syndication successes Tyler Perry's House of Payne, its spinoff Meet the Browns, The Wendy Williams Show, Are We There Yet? and the upcoming Orange Is The New Black, an original series for Netflix.
Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as the blockbuster first installment of The Hunger Games franchise, the 13th highest-grossing domestic box office release of all time, The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which has grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office, Texas Chainsaw 3D, The Possession, Sinister, The Expendables 2, Cabin in the Woods, Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection and Arbitrage. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company has now added the blockbuster Twilight Saga, which has grossed more than $3.3 billion at the worldwide box office, to its current slate, giving the Company the two premier young adult franchises in the world. Recent Summit hits include Red, Letters to Juliet, Knowing and the Academy Award-winning Best Picture, The Hurt Locker.
Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 15,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the 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.
About American Greetings Corporation
For more than 100 years, American Greetings Corporation (NYSE: AM) has been a creator and manufacturer of innovative social expression products that assist consumers in enhancing their relationships to create happiness, laughter and love. The Company's major greeting card lines are American Greetings, Carlton Cards, Gibson, Recycled Paper Greetings and Papyrus, and other paper product offerings include DesignWare party goods and American Greetings and Plus Mark gift-wrap and boxed cards. American Greetings also has one of the largest collections of electronic greetings on the Web, including cards available at AmericanGreetings.com through AG Interactive, Inc. (the Company's online division). In addition to its product lines, American Greetings also creates and licenses popular character brands through the American Greetings Properties group. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, American Greetings generates annual revenue of approximately $1.7 billion, and its products can be found in retail outlets worldwide. For more information on the Company, visit http://corporate.americangreetings.com.
About American Greetings Properties
American Greetings Properties (AGP) is the intellectual property and outbound licensing division of American Greetings Corporation. Built upon the successful re-launches of Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake licensed products, which have garnered over $5 billion in retail sales worldwide combined since 2002, AGP develops multi-platform campaigns for its properties through digital media, entertainment, marketing and merchandising. In addition to Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake, AGP's active classic brands include Holly Hobbie and Madballs, as well as new properties Twisted Whiskers, Maryoku Yummy and TinPo.
Children can experience AGP online at www.agkidzone.com. For more information on AGP, visit www.agpbrands.com.
For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Sandler
Lionsgate
310.255.4072
jsandler@lionsgate.com
Patrice Sadd
American Greetings
216.252.7300
Patrice.Sadd@amgreetings.com
SOURCE: Lionsgate
