Celestial Scores Licensing Deal on Martial Arts Classics

BOSTON: Karmaloop TV, a U.S. multiplatform network aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds, has signed its first licensing deal with Celestial Pictures, providing a range of kung fu and action classics from the Shaw Brothers library.

Celestial owns, restores and licenses the world’s largest collection of Chinese-made films, including The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Five Deadly Venoms and The One-Armed Swordsman. The licensed collection includes more than 60 martial arts films featuring action icons such as Jet Li, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Alexander Fu Sheng, Gordon Liu and Jimmy Wang Yu.

"This is a unique genre of films that has a huge following and influence on Verge Culture, the multicultural community of tech-savvy young people who communicate digitally to share the latest trends in fashion, lifestyle and entertainment," said Greg Selkoe, the CEO of Karmaloop TV. "This is particularly true of the Shaw Brothers’ kung fu films, which have inspired everything from the names, rhymes and album titles of iconic hip hop superstars like Wu-Tang Clan to action films like Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill to a vast array of art, video games and fashion."

"It seems only natural that we begin building our film programming with such a resonant collection, one that lends itself to repeated viewing," added David Sehring, Karmaloop TV’s executive VP of programming. "We’re especially pleased to give this library the kind of multiple platform home needed to truly commune with a young audience, wherever and whenever they want to watch these action classics."