BBC Studios and Lionsgate Television Announce Partnership to Jointly Create Original Programming and Scripted Formats for U.S. Market

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 12, 2018 -- BBC Studios Los Angeles and Lionsgate Television have teamed up to identify, co-develop and co-fund scripted formats and original intellectual property for the U.S. market. As part of the first look agreement, the parties will create original series and draw upon the extensive formats from the prestigious BBC catalog.

The BBC Studios production unit in Los Angeles provides premium content to broadcast, cable and subscription services. It is best known for its successes with scripted formats Getting On (HBO) and the Emmy(R) award-winning The Night Of (HBO), as well as unscripted brands Dancing with the Stars (ABC) and the Emmy(R) award-winning Life Below Zero (National Geographic Channel).

The new deal will extend both companies' reach as it creates the opportunity to combine the best of British creativity and premium content with Lionsgate Television's experience and success in delivering scripted programming to multiple platforms in the U.S.

Matt Forde, Managing Director, International Production & Formats, BBC Studios shared, "BBC Studios productions is known for showcasing the best content with British DNA. We're looking forward to this creative partnership with Lionsgate Television to more readily bring this to the U.S. audiences, and beyond."

"We're thrilled to partner with one of the largest and most respected content suppliers in the world," said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs and Lionsgate Television Group President Sandra Stern. "We're incredibly excited by the opportunity to marshal our complementary resources and expertise to continue to bring the globally renowned BBC brand to the U.S. market."

The deal was orchestrated by Beggs and Stern for Lionsgate and CEO Tim Davie and Forde for BBC Studios.

About BBC Studios - Americas

BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries. BBC Studios' award-winning British programs are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialties. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including six production bases in the UK, and a further seven wholly-owned and production partnerships internationally. The company, which makes over 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK's independent sector. In the Americas, BBC Studios' production unit in Los Angeles is responsible for ratings juggernaut Dancing with the Stars, critically-acclaimed The Night Of, and award-winning Life Below Zero, while local productions Dancing Brasil and Bake Off Brasil are breakout hits made in Brazil. The company manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) - home of global brands Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Doctor Who, and Top Gear - and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as strategic partnerships in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel, Corus for BBC Canada, and Knowledge Network for BBC Kids.

About Lionsgate

The first major new studio in decades, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) is a global content leader whose films, television series, digital products and linear and over-the-top platforms reach next generation audiences around the world. In addition to its filmed entertainment leadership, Lionsgate content drives a growing presence in interactive and location-based entertainment, video games, esports and other new entertainment technologies. Lionsgate's content initiatives are backed by a nearly 17,000-title film and television library and delivered through a global sales and distribution infrastructure. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring and ground-breaking content created with special emphasis on the evolving patterns and diverse composition of the Company's worldwide consumer base.