RHI Entertainment Announces Five Major Miniseries Distribution Deals with NBC and SCI FI

RHI Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RHIE), a leading distributor of new made-for-television (MFT) movies, miniseries, and other television programming, announced five significant distribution deals with NBC and SCI FI. Meteor and The Storm are set to air on NBC in summer 2009, and Riverworld, Phantom, and Alice are to premiere on SCI FI in the 2009-2010 television season.

For RHI, these deals illustrate the strong demand from major broadcast and cable networks for quality, event-oriented content to round out programming line-ups. They also build on RHI�s historical success showcasing the made-for-television and miniseries formats with brands under the NBC Universal umbrella.

RHI Entertainment President and Chief Executive Officer Robert Halmi Jr. said, �In this and any media market environment, as networks contemplate how they are going to fill their programming schedule, we offer a solution that provides tremendous value and the potential for strong ratings. The good news for our customers is that they don�t need to surrender quality to keep their own costs in line. RHI offers events that push the envelope artistically, and have more attractive economics attached to them.�

Mr. Halmi continued, �We are excited about our film slate for 2009 and believe that these films, along with the others that we will be distributing this year, will provide value to us in terms of the first license, but will also refresh the value of our library.�

Significantly, two of the titles in these deals � Riverworld and The Phantom - are backdoor pilots for potential series which RHI will distribute. This is part of a concerted strategy for RHI to diversify its product mix and expand its model to include series programming.

As to this new initiative, Halmi said, �The company believes that we have the business affairs, production and distribution infrastructure already in place to more aggressively and successfully enter this segment of the business without significant investment. Further, the use of certain movie and miniseries projects as backdoor pilots allows us to transition to this new model from a position of strength.�

NBC

Following on the success of The Last Templar, which premiered on NBC in January 2009, RHI miniseries Meteor and The Storm are slated to make their debut on the network in June and July of 2009.

Premiering on NBC on June 7th (Part One) and concluding on June 14th (Part Two), the action-packed miniseries Meteor stars Emmy winner Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future) and Marla Sokoloff (The Practice) as scientists who discover that two massive rocks have collided in space. When their course is altered, the tumbling debris hurtles toward its new target�Earth. Costarring Golden Globe nominee Billy Campbell (Once and Again), Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Golden Globe Nominee Stacy Keach (Prison Break), Meteor is an RHI Entertainment presentation in association with Larry Levinson Productions. The miniseries was written by Alex Greenfield (Street Warrior) and directed by Ernie Barbarash (Stir of Echos 2) and is executive produced by Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson.

A terrifying what-if scenario is posed in the miniseries The Storm, an RHI Entertainment presentation in association with Larry Levinson Productions premiering on NBC July 19th (Part One) and concluding on July 26th (Part Two). Featuring a cast of television favorites, including Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Treat Williams (Everwood), James Van Der Beek (Dawson�s Creek), Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), David James Elliott (JAG), Marisol Nichols (24), Emmy winner John Larroquette (Boston Legal) and Luke Perry (Beverly Hills, 90210), The Storm presents the ultimate tale of man against nature when a man-made weather experiment gets beyond its control. Directed by Emmy winner Bradford May (JAG) and written by Matthew Chernov and David Rosiak (Shark Swarm), the miniseries is executive produced by Robert Halmi, Jr. and Larry Levinson.

Mr. Halmi added, �The NBC relationship is an important one for RHI and we are excited to launch these television events with their viewers. Over the years, we have paired with the network on some of the most beloved miniseries of all times, including Gulliver�s Travels and Merlin, and we look forward to a continued productive partnership with them.�

The SCI FI Channel

Along with Knights of Bloodsteel, which is set to premiere on April 19th and 20th, RHI will launch the two-part, four-hour events, Riverworld, The Phantom and Alice on SCI FI in the 2009- 2010 television season.

Riverworld, based on the bestselling, award-winning novels by the late Phillip Jose Farmer, comes to SCI FI in 2010 as a four-hour epic event. Directed by Emmy nominee Stuart Gillard (90210) and written by Robert Hewitt Wolfe (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Riverworld tells the story of a combat photojournalist who awakens in a mysterious world where everyone who has ever lived on Earth has been �reborn� along the banks of a seemingly endless river. He embarks on a mission upriver along past friends and new comrades, including a 13th century female samurai named Tomoe and American novelist Mark Twain. Riverworld is produced by Reunion Pictures (Matthew O�Connor, Tom Rowe, Executive Producers) with RHI Entertainment (Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., Executive Producers) distributing internationally.

For more than six decades, costumed superhero The Phantom has thrilled audiences in comics, newspapers, books and movies. Now, the hero, who relies on wits, physical strength and skill with weapons over superhuman powers, has been revamped for today�s audiences in a heroic event scheduled to premiere on SCI FI in 2010. Produced by Muse Entertainment with RHI Entertainment distributing internationally, Paolo Barzman (The Last Templar) will direct from a script by Daniel Knauf (Carniv�le) and Charles Knauf. The four-hour presentation is executive produced by Robert Halmi, Sr., Robert Halmi, Jr., and Michael Prupas.

Premiering on SCI FI in 2009 Alice is an exciting reimagining of Lewis Carroll�s timeless story Alice�s Adventures in Wonderland. Written and directed by Nick Willing, who also directed the record-breaking, Emmy nominated Tin Man for SCI FI in 2007, this grand new event is a co-production between Reunion Pictures (Matthew O�Connor, Lisa Richardson, Executive Producers) and Studio Eight (Jamie Brown, Executive Producer) with RHI Entertainment (Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., Executive Producers) distributing internationally.

�RHI is an ideal partner for the SCI FI Channel to showcase the action-packed, thrilling, quality films that our audience has come to expect from us,� said Mr. Halmi. �By combining marquee talent with exotic shooting locales, high production values and powerful story lines, RHI can consistently deliver large-scale productions with theatrical release quality. This has been, and we expect will be, a winning formula for RHI and SCI FI.�

About RHI Entertainment

RHI Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RHIE) develops, produces and distributes new made-for-television movies, miniseries and other television programming worldwide, and is the leading provider of new long-form television content in the United States. Under the leadership of Robert Halmi, Sr. and Robert Halmi, Jr., RHI has produced and distributed thousands of hours of quality television programming, and RHI�s productions have received more than 100 Emmy Awards. In addition to the development, production and distribution of new content, RHI owns rights to over 1,000 titles and more than 3,500 broadcast hours of long-form television programming, which are licensed to broadcast and cable networks and new media outlets globally.

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