Shed, Acorn in DVD Deal

LONDON, December 16: Acorn
Media Group has secured a worldwide DVD deal for an exclusive first option on
all Shed Media productions.

The initial focus of the
deal will be to exploit DVD rights for prime-time drama and comedy series,
while also encompassing other genres within the Shed Media group of companies
such as factual entertainment and specialist factual. Starting January 1, the
first titles to be released in the U.K. will include seasons three and four of
the BBC One drama Waterloo Road
and the six-part comedy series Life of Riley.

Acorn already distributes
several Shed Media series in the U.K., including seasons three and four of Wall
to Wall's New Tricks with
Dennis Waterman and Who Do You Think You Are?

Acorn Media U.K.'s
managing director, Paul Holland, said: "We are very excited that Shed
Media have decided to work with Acorn Media as their worldwide partner for DVD
publishing starting in 2009. This deal will deliver some of the best new
prime-time TV programming on DVD in the months and years ahead across many
genres, including modern drama, classic drama, comedy and special
interest."

Holland continued:
"Another brilliant aspect to this deal is that it gives Acorn the
opportunity to delve into the catalogue of the Shed Media group of companies
and allow us to release on DVD a number of new titles from a fabulously rich
catalogue of programming. The success we have enjoyed on New Tricks in the U.K. is just the start of bigger things to
come."

The deal was put together
by global content distributor Outright, whose slate of programming, which it
sells on behalf of both parent company Shed Media and third-party producers, is
now some 1,250 hours of
finished programming and 80 properties
with format rights available.

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski