EL REY NETWORK AND CELESTIAL PICTURES BOOST MULTI-YEAR PARTNERSHIP TO BRING VIEWERS THE BEST IN CLASSIC MARTIAL ARTS

Austin, TX and Hong Kong – July 28, 2014 El Rey Network (El Rey), maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez’s new genre-busting cable network, and Celestial Pictures Limited (Celestial Pictures) announced today a long-term programming partnership. The new five-year deal begins October 1, 2014, extending and expanding on an existing program licensing agreement. The new deal will provide the network with access to 255 iconic martial arts titles from the Shaw Brothers vault – the world’s leading martial arts collection, many on an exclusive basis. Financial terms were not disclosed. The parties are also in discussion on new original programming concepts based on the Shaw Brothers’ films.

New titles available to El Rey through the deal include “The Five Deadly Venoms,” “Mad Monkey Kung Fu,” “The Brave Archer Trilogy” and “Have Sword Will Travel,” which will air throughout the schedule as well as during the network’s monthly Kung Fu marathons. All films come with English subtitles and/or English dubbed tracks.

Robert Rodriguez, El Rey Network founder and chairman, said: “These iconic films have really resonated with our viewers and we are excited to be the American home of this incredible library. As a kid, I found this kind of content wildly entertaining and these dazzling, kinetic and epic spectacles are still a great inspiration in the work I do to this day.”

Kristen Tong, Chief Operating Officer of Celestial Pictures, added: “We are delighted to build on our strong relationship with El Rey and Robert. The network has already proven to be a great platform to showcase our classic titles to a new audience, and we look forward to pursuing further exciting opportunities together.”

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About Celestial Pictures Limited
Celestial Pictures Limited (Celestial Pictures) is a diversified entertainment company bringing the best in Asian entertainment to the world. The company focuses on film and television content origination, aggregation and worldwide distribution.

Celestial Pictures owns the Shaw Brothers library, the world’s largest Chinese film collection, with over 760 feature films originally released over a fifty year period. The library has inspired countless filmmakers with its vast pool of classics including THE FIVE DEADLY VENOMS, HEX, THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, ONE-ARMED SWORDSMAN, KING BOXER and THE FLYING GUILLOTINE. These award-winning films have been digitally restored frame-by-frame for global distribution. The company has also been active in producing new film content, both originals and remakes based on the Shaw Brothers library films. Recent releases include PERHAPS LOVE, MY KINGDOM and CONTROL.

Celestial Pictures has a substantial investment in Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), a venture with Saban Capital Group and Lionsgate. It operates branded pay television channels and produces and distributes content for Asian audiences. CTE’s channel bouquet includes CELESTIAL MOVIES, CELESTIAL CLASSIC MOVIES, CELESTIAL MOVIES HD, cHK, KIX, KIX HD and THRILL, with a footprint that spans Asia and Australia.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Celestial Pictures is owned by ASTRO Holdings Sdn Bhd (ASTRO), a leading integrated consumer media entertainment group in Malaysia and South East Asia. ASTRO owns a portfolio of international and regional investments in Pay TV, Radio, Publications and Digital Media. ASTRO’s Malaysian domestic Pay TV business has a customer base of over 3.5 million residential customers (approximately 52% penetration of Malaysian TV households), and offers 170 TV channels, including 37 HD channels, delivered via Direct-To-Home satellite TV, IPTV and OTT platforms.

About El Rey Network
El Rey Network is a new 24-hour English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites the most culturally diverse generation in history through fearless, badass and original content that awakens the renegade in everyone. The network’s action-packed content is anchored by original signature dramas, feature films, grindhouse genre, cult classic action, and horror/sci-fi. El Rey Network LLC (www.elreynetwork.com) is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures with a minority stake held by Univision Networks & Studios, Inc

Media Enquiries
Legolas Cheung
Madison Communications
(852) 2881 8736/ 9585 3395
legolas@madison.asia

Josephine Ng
Celestial Pictures
(852) 2212 6985
josephine.ng@celestialpictures.com

SINGAPORE and HONG KONG, 29 July, 2014 – Sony Pictures Television (SPT) Networks, Asia has concluded a deal with Hong Kong’s CABLE TV to bring English general entertainment channels Sony Entertainment Television and beTV to its pay-TV service beginning 29 July, 2014. Both channels join SPT Networks’ entertainment powerhouses AXN and Animax on CABLE TV’s basic tier, available to the widest subscriber base out of its more than one million TV services customers.

“Hong Kong boasts one of the highest pay-TV penetration rates in the region, so we are proud to be broadening our channels portfolio in this important market. While Sony Entertainment Television and beTV each offer their own unique blend of programming, viewers will enjoy the same high level of quality that they have come to expect from AXN and Animax,” said Hui Keng Ang, senior vice president and general manager, Networks, Asia, SPT.

“We are rather excited about this expanded agreement with SPT. The carriage of beTV and Sony Entertainment Television will certainly add very interesting new programming dimensions to our pay TV’s flagship entertainment platform, much to the delight of our subscribers,” said Helina Wong, vice president, Subscription Marketing & Sales, CABLE TV.

Available on CABLE TV channel 31, Sony Entertainment Television serves up wickedly juicy entertainment that appeals to discerning females who love their entertainment sassy and fun, with a pinch of mischief. The channel offers first-run and exclusive drama and reality series focused on fashion, lifestyle, design, food, romance and celebrities. CABLE TV subscribers will enjoy the pulsating new medical drama series The Night Shift, which is this summer’s top new scripted series on broadcast and cable in the US. The drama, which stars Irish heartthrob Eoin Macken and has already been renewed for a second season, airs Sundays at 10.50 pm on Sony Entertainment Television.

Available on CABLE TV channel 34, beTV is Asia’s entertainment hangout for the best of drama, comedy, mystery and lifestyle programming. With first-run and exclusive new shows and returning hits, beTV is a broad general entertainment channel that draws a core young adult audience ages 18 – 34. CABLE TV viewers can experience the latest season of the supernatural thriller Teen Wolf, starring Tyler Posey, on Sundays at 10.40 pm, the same week as the US broadcast. In addition, beTV will offer all six previous episodes of Season 4 in mid-season catch-up marathon beginning at 4.40pm on Saturday, 16 August.

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About Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia

Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia was established in 1997 with Singapore as the Asian headquarters of Sony Pictures Television’s networks business. It operates six ad-supported 24/7 channels which are wholly-owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

AXN is the home of thrilling entertainment; beTV is the place to be for the best of TV; Sony Entertainment Television offers wickedly juicy TV for modern females; Animax offers anime for all; ONE is powered by prime and current South Korean entertainment content; and GEM serves up star-studded and popular general entertainment programming from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

About Sony Entertainment Television

Sony Entertainment Television (SET) is the one-stop destination for wickedly juicy TV – appealing to discerning females, who like their entertainment sassy and fun, with a pinch of mischief.

SET provides stylish entertainment – sexy, chic and witty shows – centered around fashion, lifestyle, design, food, romance and celebrity gossip. Comprising first-run hits from the U.S., the tantalising programming line-up features a variety of genres that will strike a chord with all audiences – fun and engaging drama series, trendy lifestyle-related reality shows and celebrity-driven variety shows.

Sony Entertainment Television is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and managed by Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia, which also operates AXN, beTV, Animax, ONE and GEM. See www.set-asia.com, as well as follow www.facebook.com/SETAsia, and https://twitter.com/setasia for more

About beTV

Serving up the best of TV, beTV is Asia’s entertainment hangout for the very best in drama, comedy, mystery and lifestyle programs. With first-run and exclusive content including multi-award winning, brand new shows and returning hits, beTV is a broad general entertainment channel which is female skewing and draws a core young adult audience ages 18 – 34.

First launched in January 2008, beTV is now available in Brunei, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Maldives, Mongolia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand. beTV is wholly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and managed by Sony Pictures Television’s Networks, Asia, which also operates AXN, Sony Entertainment Television, Animax, ONE and GEM. See www.betvasia.com, as well as follow www.facebook.com/betvasia and https://twitter.com/betvasia for more.

About Hong Kong Cable Television Limited

Launched in 1993, Hong Kong Cable Television Limited (CABLE TV) is the territory’s most-watched pay TV operator and leading content provider.

Commanding leading positions in News, Movies, Entertainment and Sports programming production, CABLE TV provides top-rated content to individual consumers, mobile operators, commercial premises, public transportation systems and overseas networks.

(July 28, 2014) Satellite operator SES of Luxembourg is to invest around €2.3 billion in new satellites, including the building of SES-12 announced on July 25th. The investment rate will be at about a rate of €450 million per year ($612 million).

Read more at Advanced Television

(Jul 28, 2014) The firm will upgrade HBO Go app and expand access to the network for broadband-only customers who don’t want to buy a full cable-TV package

Read more at Live Mint

(July 28, 2014) Discovery Networks International, the global division of media powerhouse Discovery Communications, is finding resonance with its mix of science, nature and ‘lifestyle’ programming, logging its biggest ever figure for Q2 2014.

With record viewing levels and online growth internationally, DNI reached 621 million viewers around the world, which is an increase of 3% year-over-year. It also charted its highest ever average audience, reaching 2.9 million viewers (up 9% over last year).

Read more at Rapid TV News

(July 28, 2014) The process of digitisation in India currently seems to be stuck in limbo. Even with several deadlines being set, the country doesn’t seem to have progressed much even in digital addressable systems (DAS) phase II, let alone phases III and IV. A new report from Media Partners Asia (MPA) has predicted key findings about the cable and DTH industry in India between 2013 and 2023.

It expects the next five years to be a period of robust growth of India’s pay-TV market. MPA projects that the pay TV industry in the country will grow from $7.4 billion in revenue in 2013 to $12.3 billion by 2018.

Read more at Indiantelevision.com

(July 28, 2014) Star India’s geo ad targeting technology Adsharp will help in expanding the ad market for television while also possibly eating into the print media’s ad pie, media experts said.

The geographical market-wise segmentation of advertising has so far been a domain of print. Star’s strategy is to change all that by offering to its advertisers an option of doing geo targeting ads on its two mainstream Hindi entertainment channels.

Read more at Television Post