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