RHI Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RHIE), a leading distributor of
new made-for-television (MFT) movies, miniseries, and other
television programming, announced five significant distribution
deals with NBC and SCI FI. Meteor and The Storm are set to air on
NBC in summer 2009, and Riverworld, Phantom, and Alice are to
premiere on SCI FI in the 2009-2010 television season.
For RHI, these deals illustrate the strong demand from major
broadcast and cable networks for quality, event-oriented content to
round out programming line-ups. They also build on RHI�s historical
success showcasing the made-for-television and miniseries formats
with brands under the NBC Universal umbrella.
RHI Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer Robert
Halmi Jr. said, �In this and any media market environment, as
networks contemplate how they are going to fill their programming
schedule, we offer a solution that provides tremendous value and
the potential for strong ratings. The good news for our customers
is that they don�t need to surrender quality to keep their own
costs in line. RHI offers events that push the envelope
artistically, and have more attractive economics attached to
them.�
Mr. Halmi continued, �We are excited about our film slate for
2009 and believe that these films, along with the others that we
will be distributing this year, will provide value to us in terms
of the first license, but will also refresh the value of our
library.�
Significantly, two of the titles in these deals � Riverworld and
The Phantom - are backdoor pilots for potential series which RHI
will distribute. This is part of a concerted strategy for RHI to
diversify its product mix and expand its model to include series
programming.
As to this new initiative, Halmi said, �The company believes
that we have the business affairs, production and distribution
infrastructure already in place to more aggressively and
successfully enter this segment of the business without significant
investment. Further, the use of certain movie and miniseries
projects as backdoor pilots allows us to transition to this new
model from a position of strength.�
NBC
Following on the success of The Last Templar, which premiered on
NBC in January 2009, RHI miniseries Meteor and The Storm are slated
to make their debut on the network in June and July of 2009.
Premiering on NBC on June 7th (Part One) and concluding on June
14th (Part Two), the action-packed miniseries Meteor stars Emmy
winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Marla Sokoloff
(The Practice) as scientists who discover that two massive rocks
have collided in space. When their course is altered, the tumbling
debris hurtles toward its new target�Earth. Costarring Golden Globe
nominee Billy Campbell (Once and Again), Emmy and Golden Globe
nominee Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Golden Globe Nominee Stacy
Keach (Prison Break), Meteor is an RHI Entertainment presentation
in association with Larry Levinson Productions. The miniseries was
written by Alex Greenfield (Street Warrior) and directed by Ernie
Barbarash (Stir of Echos 2) and is executive produced by Robert
Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson.
A terrifying what-if scenario is posed in the miniseries The
Storm, an RHI Entertainment presentation in association with Larry
Levinson Productions premiering on NBC July 19th (Part One) and
concluding on July 26th (Part Two). Featuring a cast of television
favorites, including Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Treat Williams
(Everwood), James Van Der Beek (Dawson�s Creek), Teri Polo (Meet
the Parents), David James Elliott (JAG), Marisol Nichols (24), Emmy
winner John Larroquette (Boston Legal) and Luke Perry (Beverly
Hills, 90210), The Storm presents the ultimate tale of man against
nature when a man-made weather experiment gets beyond its control.
Directed by Emmy winner Bradford May (JAG) and written by Matthew
Chernov and David Rosiak (Shark Swarm), the miniseries is executive
produced by Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson.
Mr. Halmi added, �The NBC relationship is an important one for
RHI and we are excited to launch these television events with their
viewers. Over the years, we have paired with the network on some of
the most beloved miniseries of all times, including Gulliver�s
Travels and Merlin, and we look forward to a continued productive
partnership with them.�
The SCI FI Channel
Along with Knights of Bloodsteel, which is set to premiere on
April 19th and 20th, RHI will launch the two-part, four-hour
events, Riverworld, The Phantom and Alice on SCI FI in the 2009-
2010 television season.
Riverworld, based on the bestselling, award-winning novels by
the late Phillip Jose Farmer, comes to SCI FI in 2010 as a
four-hour epic event. Directed by Emmy nominee Stuart Gillard
(90210) and written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine), Riverworld tells the story of a combat photojournalist who
awakens in a mysterious world where everyone who has ever lived on
Earth has been �reborn� along the banks of a seemingly endless
river. He embarks on a mission upriver along past friends and new
comrades, including a 13th century female samurai named Tomoe and
American novelist Mark Twain. Riverworld is produced by Reunion
Pictures (Matthew O�Connor, Tom Rowe, Executive Producers) with RHI
Entertainment (Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., Executive
Producers) distributing internationally.
For more than six decades, costumed superhero The Phantom has
thrilled audiences in comics, newspapers, books and movies. Now,
the hero, who relies on wits, physical strength and skill with
weapons over superhuman powers, has been revamped for today�s
audiences in a heroic event scheduled to premiere on SCI FI in
2010. Produced by Muse Entertainment with RHI Entertainment
distributing internationally, Paolo Barzman (The Last Templar) will
direct from a script by Daniel Knauf (Carniv�le) and Charles Knauf.
The four-hour presentation is executive produced by Robert Halmi,
Sr., Robert Halmi, Jr., and Michael Prupas.
Premiering on SCI FI in 2009 Alice is an exciting reimagining of
Lewis Carroll�s timeless story Alice�s Adventures in Wonderland.
Written and directed by Nick Willing, who also directed the
record-breaking, Emmy nominated Tin Man for SCI FI in 2007, this
grand new event is a co-production between Reunion Pictures
(Matthew O�Connor, Lisa Richardson, Executive Producers) and Studio
Eight (Jamie Brown, Executive Producer) with RHI Entertainment
(Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., Executive Producers)
distributing internationally.
�RHI is an ideal partner for the SCI FI Channel to showcase the
action-packed, thrilling, quality films that our audience has come
to expect from us,� said Mr. Halmi. �By combining marquee talent
with exotic shooting locales, high production values and powerful
story lines, RHI can consistently deliver large-scale productions
with theatrical release quality. This has been, and we expect will
be, a winning formula for RHI and SCI FI.�
About RHI Entertainment
RHI Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RHIE) develops, produces and
distributes new made-for-television movies, miniseries and other
television programming worldwide, and is the leading provider of
new long-form television content in the United States. Under the
leadership of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has
produced and distributed thousands of hours of quality television
programming, and RHI�s productions have received more than 100 Emmy
Awards. In addition to the development, production and distribution
of new content, RHI owns rights to over 1,000 titles and more than
3,500 broadcast hours of long-form television programming, which
are licensed to broadcast and cable networks and new media outlets
globally.
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