MACHINIMA AND LIONSGATE RENEW AND EXPAND ORIGINAL WEB SERIES "BITE ME"

SANTA MONICA, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Machinima, the number one video entertainment brand for gamers around the world, and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), a leading diversified global entertainment company, have partnered to renew Machinima's original zombie apocalypse comedy series "Bite Me." It was announced today by Allen DeBevoise, Chairman and CEO of Machinima, and Lionsgate's Curt Marvis, who orchestrated the Company's partnership with Machinima and is overseeing the series for Lionsgate. 

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On March 6th, the second season of "Bite Me" will premiere on the Machinima Network online (YouTube.com/Machinima) and on FEARnet, the premium cable network for horror, thriller and suspense, backed by Lionsgate, Sony and Comcast.

""Bite Me" is yet another example of the type of premium content that we know resonates with our global audience of highly engaged and influential young males," said DeBevoise. "We're thrilled to partner with Lionsgate on the second season and look forward to expanding this into a global franchise."

"Lionsgate is committed to creating and delivering original content that bridges the gap between traditional and digital screens," said Marvis. ""Bite Me" is a perfect example of our win/win approach to traditional and digital platforms, launching both on Machinima and FEARnet. Machinima is a dynamic and innovative company that is helping to change the face of the Internet, and they share our entrepreneurial culture and game-changing vision. We will continue to explore these types of synergistic partnerships in the future."

FEARnet will be the exclusive TV home for "Bite Me." In addition to premiere windows, the series will be expanded for FEARnet with extended episodes, behind the scenes content and special presentation movie length versions of the show. The cable outlet will also offer sneak previews of upcoming episodes prior to their appearance on YouTube.

"This series is a perfect fit for FEARnet," said FEARnet President Peter Block. "FEARnet and Machinima share similar audiences and this is a great opportunity to promote the FEARnet brand on Machinima and vice versa.  Additionally, by enabling our audience to watch "Bite Me" in both series format and as feature-length movies on the FEARnet channel and on demand, we believe that we can further expand the tremendous reach and awareness that Machinima has already generated for the show."

The first season of the "Bite Me" web series drew over 14 million views and had an average of well over 1.4 million monthly unique viewers per episode. In the next season, the zombie apocalypse is underway and it is up to three hardcore gamers to use their knowledge, skills and abilities to rise up against the growing army of the undead. The series stars Yousef Abu-Taleb ("Lonelygirl15"), Justin Giddings ("Pretty Little Liars"), Ryan Welsh, Dani Lennon ("The Casting Office"), Risdon Roberts and Morgan Benoit ("The Forbidden Kingdom"). The new season is written by Andy Shapiro and Bob Quinn, directed by Jarrett Lee Conaway, and is a co-production of Machinima and Lionsgate, with production services provided by Epic Level Entertainment.

About Machinima

Machinima is the dominant video entertainment network for serious gamers around the world.  The number one entertainment channel on YouTube, Machinima serves over 1 billion video views a month, and reaches over 124 million gamers monthly. Machinima's global content network features official publisher content, gameplay videos and original content, including over 20 original weekly shows, all aimed at the coveted 18 – 34 year old male demographic.  Machinima is fast-becoming a global phenomenon with an ability to capture a cultural sensibility and awareness among a next generation of entertainment consumers and marketers alike. The company is backed by MK Capital and Redpoint Ventures, and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. 

For more information, please visit www.machinima.com 

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a leading global entertainment company with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, family entertainment, digital distribution. new channel platforms and international distribution and sales. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming and an array of channel assets.  Lionsgate currently has 15 shows on more than 10 networks spanning its prime time production, distribution and syndication businesses, including such critically-acclaimed hits as the multiple Emmy Award-winning "Mad Men", "Weeds" and "Nurse Jackie" along with the comedy "Blue Mountain State," the Golden Globe-winning drama "Boss" and the syndication successes "Tyler Perry's House Of Payne", its spinoff "Meet The Browns", "The Wendy Williams Show" and "Are We There Yet?".

Its feature film business has been fueled by such recent successes as THE LINCOLN LAWYER, TYLER PERRY'S MADEA'S BIG HAPPY FAMILY, THE EXPENDABLES, MARGIN CALL, THE LAST EXORCISM and the critically-acclaimed PRECIOUS, which won two Academy Awards®. With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the Company now has the two leading young adult franchises – the blockbuster TWILIGHT SAGA, which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and the HUNGER GAMES franchise, whose first film will be released on March 23.  Recent Summit hits include RED, LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, the STEP UP franchise and the Academy Award winning Best Picture THE HURT LOCKER.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 13,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

About FEARnet

FEARnet is the premier cable television channel for fans of horror, thriller and suspense entertainment.  Featuring original series and movies, its unrivaled modern horror library unites Sony Pictures Television (SPT: US), Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the two top studios producing and distributing the genre, and Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA) (NASDAQ: CMCSK), the nation's leading provider of cable, entertainment and communications products and services.  FEARnet is also available online at FEARnet.com and On Demand.    

FEARnet launched its traditional cable channel October 31, 2010 and is available on Comcast, Time Warner, Verizon FiOS, and other MSOs.  The channel provides more than 300 movies a year including regularly scheduled world, broadcast and network premieres, as well as new series, and original interstitial content, and is offered in both standard and high-definition.  FEARnet On Demand has generated over 600 MM views, is the #1 Free Movie VOD network, and is available on AT&T U-Verse, Bresnan, Comcast, Cox Communications, Guadalupe Valley Systems, Insight Communications, Time Warner, Verizon FiOS, Wyandotte Municipal Services, and others.  FEARnet.com is the web's #1 site for genre fans, and PC Magazine named FEARnet.com among "The 15 Best Websites for Movie Fans" where users can explore the world of genre entertainment on a visually arresting video-rich environment packed with movies, news, interactive community features and fresh original content.  

PRESS CONTACTS:

For Machinima
Principal Communications Group – Joe Libonati – [email protected] or 917-287-6763
Kat Jones – [email protected] – 323-872-5335

For FEARnet
Beck Media & Marketing – Sabrina Pietryga or Raul Rojas – [email protected], [email protected] or 310-300-4800

For Lionsgate
Jennifer Sandler- [email protected] - 310-255-4072
For Lionsgate Corporate Inquiries
Peter D. Wilkes - [email protected] - 310-255-3726

SOURCE Lionsgate