E1 Expands Global Distribution Network to Australia & New Zealand
23 February 2010
- E1 to acquire all rights to films and television programs for two territories -
- First titles to be released in April 2010 -
TORONTO – FEBRUARY 23, 2010 – E1 Entertainment (E1), one of the world’s premiere independent entertainment distributors, is going “down under”, expanding its international operations to Australia and New Zealand. The expansion further extends E1’s global reach and positions the company for future growth in the region.
“Expanding our global distribution network continues to be a priority for E1 and has been a vital component of our international success to date,” said Patrice Theroux, President, Filmed Entertainment at E1. “We’re thrilled to be creating this foundation for growth in Australia and New Zealand and will look to leverage our position in these two new markets, as well as in our current territories, to drive further expansion in Europe and other regions.”
The company’s ongoing investment in production and rights acquisition across the film, children’s and TV drama genres has fueled its expansion, allowing E1 to maximize revenue generating opportunities while minimizing risk. E1’s robust programming acquisition strategy has created a strong international distribution division and it is proactively expanding its extensive library of international titles, including actively acquiring rights for these two latest countries to join its distribution network.
E1 has several films for scheduled release in these territories including “Incendiary” starring Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor; “Helen” starring Ashley Judd and Goran Visnjic, and “$5 A Day” starring Christopher Walken and featuring Sharon Stone. Television titles soon to be released on DVD include E1’s own productions “Kenny vs Spenny”, CBS show “The Bridge”, ABC series “Copper” and Syfy series “Haven”, as well as acquired property, “Sanctuary.” E1’s popular properties “Peppa Pig” and “Tractor Tom” headline the kids programming slated for release later this year.
“The release of these titles represents our first step into these markets,” said Theroux. “Our business model of acquiring rights and distributing programming across multiple formats including DVD, TV and digital formats has been tremendously successful in Canada, the U.S., UK and Benelux. We now look to replicate that success in Australia and New Zealand where we will release DVD titles through Beyond Home Entertainment under the E1 brand, while directing our own sales to international digital outlets and local television networks via E1’s International Television group.”
Beyond Home Entertainment Pty Ltd is one of Australia and New
Zealand’s leading independent home entertainment
distributors. The company distributes wholesale DVD and Blu-ray
products to both the retail and rental home entertainment market
with key clients including Big W, K-Mart, Target, Woolworths,
Coles, ABC Shops & Centres, Borders, Toys ‘R’ Us,
Blockbuster Video, Civic Video and Leading Edge Video.
“E1 has established a strong presence in global entertainment distribution and we look forward to adding more titles from its extensive library in the future,” said Phil Maddison, General Manager at Beyond.
About E1 Entertainment
E1 Entertainment (AIM: ETO) is a leading independent entertainment content enterprise that acquires and exploits world-class film, television and music properties around the globe. Its four primary businesses units (E1 Television, E1 Films, E1 Music and E1 Distribution) operate in Canada, the U.S., the UK and Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Holland and Belgium, providing extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production and distribution, kids programming, and merchandising and licensing.
E1's growing content library, which currently includes more than 4,000 feature films, 2,700 hours of original television programming and 15,000 music tracks, are distributed across all media formats in more than 190 countries.
For more information, please contact:
Scott
MacFadyen
E1 Entertainment
smacfadyen@e1ent.com
416.646.2400
ext. 358