Ellis Entertainment

News

SPARROWHAWK MEDIA INKS DEAL WITH ELLIS ENTERTAINMENT
TO RELEASE PRESTIGIOUS CROWN MEDIA LIBRARY IN CANADA

'Lonesome Dove', 'Merlin', 'Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All’ Lead Star-studded List of Hallmark-produced Titles

TORONTO, August 10, 2005 - Toronto-based Ellis Entertainment has been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor of the Crown Media library by Sparrowhawk Media of the U.K., which recently acquired Hallmark's international television holdings. Through this agreement, distribution arm Ellis Releasing will be handling the library and its 580 award-winning titles for both English and French language sales in Canada. The announcement was jointly made today by Sparrowhawk Media CEO David Hulbert and Stephen Ellis, President of Ellis Entertainment.

Said Mr. Hulbert, "We are delighted to be working with the Ellis team in Canada. The company's 41 year record of success speaks for itself and we are confident they will maximize the library's Canadian potential for Sparrowhawk."

In addition to their new distribution relationship, Ellis and Sparrowhawk are working together on a number of joint initiatives to leverage the Crown Media content in the Canadian market and to seek out new business opportunities for Sparrowhawk Media in that region.

Said Mr. Ellis, "The Crown Media library is unparalleled for its quality and commercial appeal. We're honoured to be working with Sparrowhawk to expand our commitment to bringing Canadian broadcasters the best of what the television world has to offer."

Some major titles from this vast catalogue include: "Lonesome Dove," based on Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning book and starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Lee Glover; "Mrs. Santa Claus," starring Angela Landsbury; Emmy Award-winning "Bye Bye Birdie," starring Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams; "Gulliver's Travels," starring Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson; "Mary, Mother of Jesus," starring Christian Bale; "Merlin," starring Sam Neill, Martin Short; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," starring Ian McShane, Val Kilmer; "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All," starring Diane Lane; "True Women," starring Angelina Jolie; "Only Love," based on Erich Segal's novel and starring Rob Morrow, Marisa Tomei; and Peter Benchley's "Creature," starring Kim Cattrall.

About Ellis Entertainment:
Ellis Entertainment is one of the world's leading program providers in the global television marketplace. For over four decades, the company has been a leader in production and distribution for the world market, as well as an influential voice in the Canadian broadcasting system. The company's distribution arm, Ellis Releasing, has imported thousands of hours of the best programming from network suppliers in Britain, Australia and the U.S., and currently exports over 1,200 hours of programming worldwide, sourced from independent producers as well as its sister production arm, Ellis Vision.

About Sparrowhawk Media:
Sparrowhawk Media is the management company formed by David Elstein to acquire the international versions of the Hallmark Channel, the international rights to more than 580 titles in the Crown Media library and a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Denver, Colorado. The company, based in Chelsea, London, is backed by 3i and Providence Equity partners and acquired the assets on 26th April 2005 for $242m (£128m).

The management team is led by David Hulbert, formerly President of the Walt Disney Television International (WDTV-I) division, and includes Tim Richards as Chief Operating Officer and Alison Cornwell as Chief Financial Officer. Richards and Cornwell were also part of the Walt Disney Television International (WDTV-I) management, where they held the positions of Executive Vice President Operations and Senior Vice President Finance, respectively.

Press Contacts:

For Ellis Entertainment
Don Ciaramella / Dina Blau
The Lippin Group/NY
212-986-7080
don@lippingroup.com
dina@lippingroup.com

For Sparrowhawk Media
Nick Fox
M:Communications
+44 (0) 207 153 1540
+44 (0) 207 7711 727 618
fox@mcomgroup.com





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		News SPARROWHAWK MEDIA INKS DEAL WITH ELLIS ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE PRESTIGIOUS CROWN MEDIA LIBRARY IN CANADA 'Lonesome Dove', 'Merlin', 'Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All’ Lead Star-studded List of Hallmark-produced Titles TORONTO, August 10, 2005 - Toronto-based Ellis Entertainment has been appointed the exclusive Canadian distributor of the Crown Media library by Sparrowhawk Media of the U.K., which recently acquired Hallmark's international television holdings. Through this agreement, distribution arm Ellis Releasing will be handling the library and its 580 award-winning titles for both English and French language sales in Canada. The announcement was jointly made today by Sparrowhawk Media CEO David Hulbert and Stephen Ellis, President of Ellis Entertainment. Said Mr. Hulbert, "We are delighted to be working with the Ellis team in Canada. The company's 41 year record of success speaks for itself and we are confident they will maximize the library's Canadian potential for Sparrowhawk." In addition to their new distribution relationship, Ellis and Sparrowhawk are working together on a number of joint initiatives to leverage the Crown Media content in the Canadian market and to seek out new business opportunities for Sparrowhawk Media in that region. Said Mr. Ellis, "The Crown Media library is unparalleled for its quality and commercial appeal. We're honoured to be working with Sparrowhawk to expand our commitment to bringing Canadian broadcasters the best of what the television world has to offer." Some major titles from this vast catalogue include: "Lonesome Dove," based on Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning book and starring Robert Duvall, Tommy Lee Jones, Danny Lee Glover; "Mrs. Santa Claus," starring Angela Landsbury; Emmy Award-winning "Bye Bye Birdie," starring Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams; "Gulliver's Travels," starring Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson; "Mary, Mother of Jesus," starring Christian Bale; "Merlin," starring Sam Neill, Martin Short; "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," starring Ian McShane, Val Kilmer; "Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All," starring Diane Lane; "True Women," starring Angelina Jolie; "Only Love," based on Erich Segal's novel and starring Rob Morrow, Marisa Tomei; and Peter Benchley's "Creature," starring Kim Cattrall. About Ellis Entertainment: Ellis Entertainment is one of the world's leading program providers in the global television marketplace. For over four decades, the company has been a leader in production and distribution for the world market, as well as an influential voice in the Canadian broadcasting system. The company's distribution arm, Ellis Releasing, has imported thousands of hours of the best programming from network suppliers in Britain, Australia and the U.S., and currently exports over 1,200 hours of programming worldwide, sourced from independent producers as well as its sister production arm, Ellis Vision. About Sparrowhawk Media: Sparrowhawk Media is the management company formed by David Elstein to acquire the international versions of the Hallmark Channel, the international rights to more than 580 titles in the Crown Media library and a state-of-the-art broadcast facility in Denver, Colorado. The company, based in Chelsea, London, is backed by 3i and Providence Equity partners and acquired the assets on 26th April 2005 for $242m (£128m). The management team is led by David Hulbert, formerly President of the Walt Disney Television International (WDTV-I) division, and includes Tim Richards as Chief Operating Officer and Alison Cornwell as Chief Financial Officer. Richards and Cornwell were also part of the Walt Disney Television International (WDTV-I) management, where they held the positions of Executive Vice President Operations and Senior Vice President Finance, respectively. Press Contacts: For Ellis Entertainment Don Ciaramella / Dina Blau The Lippin Group/NY 212-986-7080 don@lippingroup.com dina@lippingroup.com For Sparrowhawk Media Nick Fox M:Communications +44 (0) 207 153 1540 +44 (0) 207 7711 727 618 fox@mcomgroup.com