STAN AND LIONSGATE ANNOUNCE NEW MULTI-YEAR LICENSING AGREEMENT IN AUSTRALIA

SYDNEY and SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 5, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Stan and global content leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) today announced an expanded new licensing agreement that will bring a robust slate of upcoming STARZ original series and hundreds of hours of additional Lionsgate and STARZ premium programming to the Australian streaming service. With the new deal Stan becomes the Australian home of STARZ Originals.

The agreement marks the latest step in the continued rollout of the STARZ brand internationally with the Company partnering with Bell Media in Canada and Amazon Prime Video in the UK & Germany to launch new branded channels and continuing to grow its STARZPLAY venture in the Middle East and North Africa as well as establishing new content licensing deals such as the Stan partnership in Australia.

The deal commences with STARZ's critically acclaimed new series Sweetbitter and Vidaand ground-breaking original docu-series Wrong Man from Academy Award® and Emmy® Award-winning filmmaker Joe Berlinger(Paradise Lost).

The agreement will also feature eagerly-anticipated upcoming STARZ original series such as the supernatural spy thriller The Rook, coproduced by Lionsgate and Liberty Global, TheContinental, the TV spinoff of the hit Lionsgate John Wick franchise, and the miniseries TheSpanish Princess, following in the footsteps of award-winning STARZ original miniseries TheWhite Queen and original limited series The White Princess, both currently streaming on Stan.

Mike Sneesby, Stan's CEO said, "STARZ and Lionsgate have been fantastic partners for Stan ever since launch, bringing us some of our biggest hits, including Ash vs Evil Dead, The Girlfriend Experience, and of course the record breaking Power, shortly to debut its fifth season. This new long-term deal takes that relationship to another level, cementing Stan as the Australian home of STARZ original series, and exclusively bringing Stan customers some of the biggest and most exciting new shows from one of the biggest names in premium TV for many years to come."

"We're thrilled to expand our longstanding partnership with our friends at Stan and excited to take our relationship to the next level," said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer. "Our new licensing agreement spans not only a great slate of STARZ original series but a deep roster of Lionsgate and STARZ premium programming that will resonate with their audiences for years to come."

The highly anticipated seriesThe Rookis a supernatural thriller about a young woman pursued by shadowy paranormal adversaries while grappling with extraordinary abilities of her own. The show is currently in production in London and stars Emma Greenwell (Love and Friendship, The Path), Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck, Red Sparrow), Olivia Munn (X-Men: Apocalypse, The Newsroom) and Adrian Lester (Riviera, Hustle).

The Continental, set in the "John Wick universe," sees the creators of the hit franchise turn their attention to the inner workings of the exclusive Continental Hotel which serves as a refuge for assassins. 

Also coming to Stan as part of this new agreement is mini-series The Spanish Princess, which has just gone into production. This third installment is a follow up to Golden Globe® and Emmy® award-nominated STARZ Original Miniseries The White Queen and the critically –acclaimed STARZ Original Limited Series The White Princess, both currently streaming on Stan.

Stan subscribers will also get to enjoy a wide selection of popular new Lionsgate shows, all streaming on Stan over the coming months. These include British black comedy hit Damned, starring Jo Brand(Getting On) and Alan Davies(Jonathan Creek) and all four seasons of salacious drama The Royals starring Elizabeth Hurley(Austin Powers, Gossip Girl) and Joan Collins(Dynasty and American Horror Story), which will premiere for the first time in Australia on Stan.

Also streaming exclusively on Stan will be the tense thriller series 10 Days in the Valley starring Kyra Sedgwick(The Closer) and the eight-episode hour-long dramatic action series Insomnia, from executive producer and director Slava N. Jakovleff and executive producer Michael Ohoven, starring Shaun Sipos, Dylan Everett and Pasha Lychnikoff. All shows will have full seasons available to stream on their premiere date.

Major STARZ series Power, already a huge hit on Stan, will have its fifth season premiere on July 1, with new episodes weekly, the same day as the U.S. The hit show, executive produced by and guest starring Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, has already been picked up for a sixth season in which 50 Cent will make his TV directorial debut.

ABOUT STAN

Stan is Australia's leading local subscription video-on-demand provider. Stan offers unlimited access to thousands of hours of entertainment, with an outstanding line-up of exclusive premieres such as Better Call Saul, Sherlock, brand new Will & Grace, Power, Girlfriend Experience, RuPaul's Drag Race, Power and UnREAL. New SHOWTIME series also premiere exclusively on Stan, including the recent third season of Billions, currently streaming; critically acclaimed and award-nominated SMILF, last year's TV event, David Lynch's Twin Peaks and forthcoming Escape at Dannemora.

Stan Originals include the AACTA Award-winning and Logie Award-nominated series No Activity, with its US adaptation produced by Will Ferrell's production company Funny Or Die, which has been renewed for a second season; the critically acclaimed AACTA Award-winning and Logie Award-nominated drama series Wolf Creek and most recently Romper Stomper.

Stan's award-winning TV shows, classic catalogue, blockbuster movies and popular kids content can be watched in full HD on your TV or favourite device, including tablets and smartphones. Now you can download and enjoy your favourite TV shows and movies and watch them anywhere, anytime, without being tied to an internet connection. Stan is a joint venture between Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media. For more information, visit www.stan.com.au

ABOUT LIONSGATE

The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate is a global content platform whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, gaming, virtual reality and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgate's content initiatives are backed by a 16,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global licensing infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company's worldwide consumer base.  

ABOUT STARZ

STARZ, a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), is a leading global media and entertainment company that provides premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television networks and produces and distributes content for worldwide audiences, including its investment in the STARZ PLAY Arabia OTT service. Starz is home to the flagship STARZ® brand and STARZ ENCORE channels and provides high-quality, entertaining premium subscription video programming with 17 premium pay TV channels and associated on-demand and online services, including the STARZ app. Sold through U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, telecommunications companies, and other online and digital platforms, Starz offers subscribers more than 5,000 distinct premium television episodes and feature films every year and up to 1,500 every month, including STARZ Original series, first-run movies and other popular movies and television programming.

For Stan:
Milly Palmer
Head of Publicity
Milly.Palmer@stan.com.au

For Lionsgate:
Peter Wilkes
pwilkes@lionsgate.com 
(310) 255-3726

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SOURCE Lionsgate