Cirque du Soleil Média and 20th Century FOX Television Announce New Collaborative Partnership

MONTREAL, Jan. 15th, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - Cirque du Soleil Média has entered into a first-look deal with prolific Hollywood television studio 20^th Century FOX Television.  The two entities have partnered to develop new and innovative live action primetime scripted television projects.

Building its values on a foundation of audacity, creativity and imagination, Cirque du Soleil is known internationally for its captivating and high quality entertainment experiences. In this partnership, Cirque du Soleil Média (a joint venture between the world-renowned Québec-based Cirque du Soleil and Bell Media) and 20^th Century Fox Television will work together to develop properties for television that go well beyond the Cirque du Soleil brand we know and love for its one-of-a-kind live shows.

"Cirque du Soleil is recognized for its incredible, high-quality, artistic live entertainment. I am confident that by joining forces with 20^th Century FOX Television, we will propel our brand to new heights by creating distinctive high quality television productions," said Jacques Méthé, President of Cirque du Soleil Média.  "Our goal with this partnership is not to televise our live performances, but rather create content in the primetime scripted arena that will elevate the genre by drawing from Cirque's creative vision."

"The Cirque du Soleil brand is so vibrant and colourful and mind-bending," commented Twentieth Century Fox Television President of Creative Affairs Jonnie Davis. "Their productions have such soul and imagination. We think the combination of Cirque and Twentieth is a perfect fit, and we're already searching for writers who can tap into their world to create scripted series that are as distinctive and exciting as the world famous Cirque live events."

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) brokered the deal with 20^th Century Fox Television on behalf of its client Cirque du Soleil Média.

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About Cirque du Soleil Média
Cirque du Soleil Média is a long-term joint venture between Cirque du Soleil and Bell Media with a mission to develop new and original media content specifically for television, film, digital, and gaming platforms. Headquartered in Montreal, the company develops entertainment projects for sale and licensing around the world, leveraging Cirque du Soleil's creative resources and infrastructure with Bell Media's production experience, media platforms, and diverse distribution capabilities.

About Bell Media
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

About 20^th Century FOX Television
Twentieth Century Fox Television is one of the industry's most prolific suppliers of primetime television programming and entertainment content, including the blockbuster, Emmy Award- and Golden Globe Award-winning "Modern Family"; the celebrated anthology series, "American Horror Story," the eagerly anticipated new drama "Empire" and the longest-running primetime scripted series in the history of television, "The Simpsons," among many others. An industry leader, the studio has eight new and eleven returning broadcast series in production for the 2014-2015 television season.

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SOURCE Cirque du Soleil Média