Lionsgate gets DVD rights for ABC shows
According to Jim, 8 Simple Rules included in deal
By Danny King -- Video Business, 8/4/2008 6:19:00 PM
AUG. 4 | Lionsgate has acquired the DVD distribution rights for more than a half-dozen TV series from Walt Disney’s ABC unit, including the first season of the Jim Belushi-starring According to Jim, the companies said today.
Lionsgate will distribute such Disney series as According to Jim to boosts its DVD sales.
The agreement, which makes most of the titles available on DVD Oct. 21, also includes shows such as 8 Simple Rules … for Dating My Teenage Daughter and October Road, the companies said. The first season of the one-hour series Reaper also will be released on DVD by Lionsgate.
The studio is trying to boost DVD sales by branching out beyond the children’s and fitness markets. Last month, Lionsgate, the third-largest U.S. non-theatrical family DVD distributor and No. 2 DVD distributor in the preschool segment, obtained the rights to distribute DVDs of Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood, among other E! Entertainment, Style Network and G4 TV titles as part of an agreement with U.S. cable-TV leader Comcast, the networks’ parent company.
“As evidenced by our recent activity, we continue to look for key brands to expand and grow our TV on DVD business,” said Ron Schwartz, general manager of Lionsgate’s home entertainment division, in a statement today. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to add these popular ABC Studios series to our library and look forward to releasing these highly recognizable, branded properties to their loyal audiences on DVD.”
Overall, Lionsgate, which also is known for its Latino titles, had the seventh-largest U.S. share of DVD spending through the first half of the year, taking about 8% of the market, according to data compiled by Rentrak and Video Business.
