SILVER SPRING, Md.,
Jan. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/
-- RLJ Entertainment Inc., ("RLJ Entertainment," "RLJE" or
"the Company") (NASDAQ: RLJE), today announced that its proprietary
digital channels, Acorn TV and UMC, realized subscriber growth that
exceeded 2016 year-end expectations.
Subscribers for both channels more than doubled year over year
in 2016. Acorn TV more than doubled to over 430,000
subscribers from over 195,000 subscribers at the end of
2015. UMC subscribers quadrupled to over 20,000 subscribers
from approximately 5,000 subscribers at the end of 2015.
"We believe the rapid growth in subscribers confirms our
strategy to bring high quality niche content to passionate
audiences," said Miguel Penella,
Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Entertainment.
The growth in Acorn TV subscribers continues this month driven
by this month's four exclusive U.S. premieres on the channel
including an Acorn TV Original movie Agatha Christie's The Witness for the
Prosecution starring Toby
Jones and Kim Cattrall (Sex and the
City) in a new critically-acclaimed adaptation of the
best-selling novelist's iconic short story, which premieres
on Monday, January 30th. Other exclusive
premieres on Acorn TV in January were the hugely popular Canadian
period mystery series Murdoch Mysteries, Season
10 (aka The Artful Detective); the return
of Australia's #1 new drama, 800 Words; and
the season finale of the edge-of-your-seat British
thriller The Level (an Acorn TV Original)
starring Karla Crome, Robert
James-Collier (Thomas on Downton
Abbey) and Noel
Clarke.
UMC continues to bring compelling and exclusive content to the
channel including the January
20th exclusive premiere of Like Cotton
Twines, from rising-star director Leila Djansi (Where
Children Play). The film stars Jay
Ellis (The Game, HBO's Insecure) and centers
around Micah Brown (Ellis), an
American volunteer who takes a teaching job in a Ghanaian village.
There he meets a bright girl who must atone for a deadly accident
committed by her father and, according to custom, must abandon her
education to be offered into religious slavery.
About RLJ Entertainment, Inc.
RLJ Entertainment, Inc.
(NASDAQ: RLJE) is an entertainment content distribution company in
primarily North America, the
United Kingdom, and Australia. RLJ Entertainment's titles are
distributed in multiple formats including broadcast television
(including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical,
DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, and digital streaming.
With its popular OTT branded channels, Acorn TV (British TV) and
UMC (Urban Movie Channel), RLJ Entertainment targets distinct,
premium audiences and Urban niche audiences. The company grows its
proprietary digital channels through development, acquisition, and
distribution of exclusive rights of program franchises and feature
film content.
Through Acorn Media Enterprises, its UK development arm, RLJE
owns all rights to the hit UK mystery series Foyle's War and is
developing new programs. RLJE owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited,
which manages the intellectual property and publishing rights to
some of the greatest works of mystery fiction, including stories of
the iconic sleuths Miss Marple and
Poirot.
For more information, please visit RLJEntertainment.com,
Acorn.TV, and UrbanMovieChannel.com.
Contact:
Traci Otey
Blunt, 301-830-6204
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. / UMC
tblunt@rljentertainment.com
Chad Campbell, 301-830-6203
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. / Acorn TV
ccampbell@rljentertainment.com
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SOURCE RLJ Entertainment, Inc.