Lionsgate in U.S. Distribution Tie Up with Disney-ABC

LOS ANGELES/SANTA
MONICA/VANCOUVER, August 5: Lionsgate has obtained the home-entertainment
distribution rights to select prime-time series and library titles from ABC
Studios, including Reaper, in a
deal with Disney-ABC Domestic Television.

The sitcom According to
Jim: Season One, available on DVD
October 21, and Reaper: Season One,
available on DVD November 4, will be the first programs released under the new
agreement. The deal also includes other sitcoms and dramas such as Hope
& Faith, 8 Simple
Rules…for Dating My Teenage Daughter,
October Road, Kevin Hill, My Wife & Kids and Six Degrees.

The deal follows
Lionsgate’s first-look partnership with Comcast Entertainment Group. Under this
agreement, Lionsgate took on the home-entertainment distribution rights to
series airing on E! Entertainment Television, The Style Network and G4,
including the tanning salon reality series Sunset Tan as well as Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood and Kimora: Life In The Fab Lane.

Ron Schwartz, the general
manager and executive VP for Lionsgate Home Entertainment, said: “As evidenced
by our recent activity, we continue to look for key brands to expand and grow
our TV-on-DVD business. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to add these
popular ABC Studios series to our library and look forward to releasing these
highly recognizable, branded properties to their loyal audiences on DVD.”

—By Jackie Stewart