Paramount

EPIX to Premiere Pilot of First Original Series in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:44am.
New York - EPIX, the pay-TV and online video joint venture from Viacom (NYSE: NWS), Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, announced on Friday that actor Sam Shepard will star in Lionsgate's "Tough Trade," the first original series pilot destined for the EPIX service. Production on the pilot, which is slated to debut on EPIX in 2010, begins next month.

tags: Video | TV | Viacom | MGM | Paramount | Lionsgate | Epix |

EPIX Movie Channel Launches on Verizon FiOS TV Friday

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 29, 2009 - 3:28pm.
New York - Verizon (NYSE: VZ) will launch the multi-platform pay-TV movie channel EPIX on its FiOS TV digital TV service on Friday, with a $9.99 per month price tag. EPIX, a joint venture between Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Paramount Pictures, MGM and Lionsgate, aims to eventually become a pay-TV movie channel as well, but to date has not announced any carriage deals.

Paramount Debuts "Circle of Eight" Series on MySpace

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 27, 2009 - 12:14pm.
Los Angeles - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Digital Entertainment on Tuesday announced the exclusive premiere on MySpace (NYSE: NWS) of its original supernatural thriller webisode series, "Circle of Eight." Produce in association with Mountain Dew's Green Label Studios, the 10-part series combines elements of gaming and social media to propel the story. Following the end of its exclusive run on MySpace in December, the series will be made available for rent from Blockbuster (NYSE: BBI).

EPIX Pay-TV Joint Venture to Launch on Oct. 30

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 13, 2009 - 12:22pm.
New York - EPIX, the pay-TV and online video-on-demand joint venture between Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, announced on Tuesday that it will officially launch on Oct. 30. The service, which to date has not yet announced carriage partners except for Verizon's FiOS TV, will at launch offer content include Madonna's "Sticky and Sweet: Live from Buenos Aires," "Iron Man" and "Eddie Izzard: Live From Wembley."

tags: Video | TV | Viacom | MGM | Paramount | Lionsgate | Epix |

EPIX Web Service to Offer 3,000+ Movies on Demand

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 21, 2009 - 8:58am.
New York - EPIX, the pay-TV and video-on-demand movie service joint venture between Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, announced on Monday that it plans to offer at least 3,000 films online via EPIX Megaplex, the online version of its service.

Paramount Enters Trial with DVD Rental Kiosk Firm Redbox

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 26, 2009 - 1:21pm.
Hollywood Calif. - DVD rental kiosk firm Redbox, a unit of Coinstar (NASD: CSTR), announced on Wednesday that it has signed a trial licensing program agreement with Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Home Entertainment, to provide Paramount DVD releases to Redbox kiosks through the end of 2009. Paramount will provide its titles to Redbox on the same date as their official release date -- a source of contention for a number of other studios that has resulted in ongoing litigation. Redbox also agreed to destroy its used Paramount DVDs rather than put them up for resale. Paramount then has the option to extend the program to 2014.

tags: Movies | DVD | Viacom | Kiosks | Paramount | Redbox |

Report: Paramount in Talks to Merge DVD Operations with Sony and Fox

Authored by Jay Baage on July 2, 2009 - 6:20am.
Los Angeles - Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures studio (NYSE: VIA) is in preliminary discussions about merging some or all of its DVD operations with Sony (NYSE: SNE) and Fox (NYSE: NWS), according to Financial Times. The purpose would be to save costs on backend physical production and distribution as the market quickly moves toward digital distribution of film and television content.

Epix Movie Channel Joint Venture Debuts Online

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 8, 2009 - 1:21pm.
Los Angeles - Epix, the movies-on-demand joint venture between Viacom (NYSE: VIA), Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate, debuted on Monday in a private beta version online, but has yet to announce any carriage deals with satellite or cable TV providers.
tags: VOD | TV | Movies | Viacom | MGM | Paramount | Lionsgate | Epix |

Investments in Viacom Movie Channel Joint Venture Reach $34M

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 12, 2008 - 9:41am.

Los Angeles - The premium movie channel joint venture between Viacom/Paramount Pictures, MGM and Lionsgate, has received about $34 million so far from its partners, PaidContent reported, citing a regulatory filing.

EA's "The Godfather II" Game Set for Release in February

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 8, 2008 - 11:05am.

Redwood City, Calif. - Electronic Arts (NASD: ERTS) and Paramount Digital Entertainment (NYSE: VIA) on Friday announced on Friday that the will release "The Godfather II" for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and the PC in February 2009. The game based on the first "Godfather" film sold over 4 million units. The sequel will notably not feature the voice or likeness of actor Al Pacino. Paramount is also facing a $1 million lawsuit from the son of "Godfather" author Mario Puzo, who claims the estate has received no royalties from game sales.

Viacom to Launch Pay-TV, VOD Channel JV with 5 Studios

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 21, 2008 - 7:31am.

New York - Media conglomerate Viacom (NYSE: VIA) announced on Monday that it has formed a joint venture to create a premium TV channel and video-on-demand service that will feature classic and new movies and TV shows from five studios. Scheduled to launch in the fall of 2009, the service will feature programming from Viacom's Paramount and Paramount Vantage, MGM, United Artists and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF).

Access IT, Studios to Add 10,000 Digital Cinema Screens

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 11, 2008 - 10:39am.

Morristown, N.J. - Access Integrated Technologies (Access IT) (NASD: AIXD), a provider of digital cinema projection systems for movie theaters, announced on Tuesday a massive deal with four major movies studios, to provide movies to up to 10,000 digital cinema systems in the U.S. and Canada.

Paramount Announces Q1 HD DVD Release Slate

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on January 17, 2008 - 1:21pm.

Hollywood, Calif. - Confirming its support for Toshiba's HD DVD format in the wake of Warner Bros. defection to Sony's rival Blu-ray format, Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Home Entertainment on Thursday announced its slate of HD DVD releases for the first quarter. The will include "Zodiac," "Beowulf," "Into the Wild" and "The Kite Runner." Viacom's DreamWorks Animation also remains committed to HD DVD, and will offer "Bee Movie" in March.

tags: HD | Movies | Toshiba | Viacom | HD DVD | Paramount |

Paramount Releasing ‘Jackass 2.5’ Free on the Web

Authored by Scott Goldberg on December 12, 2007 - 2:46pm.

If a studio is going to experiment with the launch of a major motion picture on the internet, the Jackass franchise is probably a smart bet. The Hollywood Reporter said today that Paramount Digital Entertainment and MTV New Media, co-producers on Jackass 2.5, will release the film at blockbuster.jackass.com, skipping theaters entirely in a rare move for a franchise that has already had two box office hits.

Paramount Taps Hungama Mobile for Promotions in India

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 28, 2007 - 1:21pm.

Singapore - Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount Digital Entertainment unit has partnered with Hungama Mobile to develop and distribute mobile content for Paramount titles in India, Variety reports. The mobile content will be released to promote Paramount's theatrical releases in the country. "This deal is really all about synergy and having Hungama Mobile do for us what they do for Bollywood releases," Paramount Digital Entertainment VP, Interactive and Mobile Entertainment, Asia Pacific, Pradeep Mittur, told Variety. "At this stage, this relationship is more about promotion of our movies, than trying to develop a new revenue stream."

VUDU Adds HD Movies to VOD Set-top Box

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 15, 2007 - 1:27pm.

Santa Clara, Calif. - VUDU, the developer of a set-top box that features on-demand movies licensed from the major studios and many independents, announced on Thursday that it has signed deals with Universal, Paramount and Lionsgate to add HD movies to its service. The HD films will be available to VUDU owners during the traditional home video and video-on-demand windows. Santa Clara, Calif.-based VUDU's Internet-connected set-top box went on sale last month for $399; consumers also pay fees to rent or permanently purchase titles from the rotating library of 5,000 films.

Studios Releasing Cheap, Early DVDs in China to Combat Piracy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 9, 2007 - 10:27am.
Warner Home Video logo

Los Angeles - Looking to offer a relatively cheap alternative in China, the world's largest pirate DVD market, Hollywood movie studios Warner Bros. (NYSE: TW) and Viacom's (NYSE: VIA) Paramount and DreamWorks have partnered to sell new DVDs for $2.95 there as soon as two months after a film's U.S. premiere, Variety reported.

Apple Adds U.S. TV Show Downloads to U.K. iTunes Store

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 29, 2007 - 1:36pm.

London - Apple on Wednesday launched video downloads at its U.K. iTunes Store, initially offering American TV shows from partners including ABC, and MTV Networks' Nickelodeon, MTV and Paramount Comedy.

Vivendi's Sierra to Publish Game Based on "The Spiderwick Chronicles"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 9, 2007 - 3:52pm.

Los Angeles - Vivendi's Sierra Entertainment announced on Thursday that it will publish "The Spiderwick Chronicles," a game based on the best-selling book series and forthcoming film from Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Films. The title is currently in development at Stormfront Studios for Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS and the PC for release in February 2008.

Analysis: Home Entertainment Studio Heads Predict Flat Sales Growth for 2007

Authored by Jay Baage on June 18, 2007 - 8:22pm.
Home Entertainmet Presidents Panel
The presidents of the six major movie studios' home entertainment divisions participated in a panel discussion at the DVD&Beyond Conference in Los Angeles on Monday. The topic was the state of the industry and their respective visions for the future. What struck me is that there was very little discussion of new growth opportunities, even though most of the studio executives on the panel recognized that their divisions were looking at flat or negative growth for 2007.