MUMBAI: Lionsgate and Macrovision Solutions Corporation, a digital entertainment technology leader, today announced the closing of the transaction by which Lionsgate has acquired the TV Guide Network and TV Guide Online properties from Macrovision. The companies previously announced the signing of the transaction on 5 January, 2009.
TV Guide Network is one of the 25 most widely distributed cable networks and reaches 83 million households. TV Guide.com is a leading content and navigation portal in the world of digital television and serves 16 million unique monthly visitors. Lionsgate’s growing portfolio of channel platforms now includes TV Guide Network, FEARnet, operated with partners Sony and Comcast, which reaches 30 million subscribers, and EPIX, the premium multiplatform channel with partners Viacom and MGM that is expected to launch in October 2009. TV Guide.com joins Break.com, in which Lionsgate has a 42 percent equity investment, among Lionsgate’s online businesses.
"We’re delighted to welcome Ryan O’Hara, Paul Greenberg and their teams to the Lionsgate family," said Lionsgate co-chairman and chief executive officer Jon Feltheimer. "TV Guide Network and TV Guide.com are a perfect fit for our entrepreneurial culture and business model of creating innovative market leaders in key niches. The acquisition of these companies reflects the continued growth of our television, channel platform and online businesses, and we look forward to working closely with our distribution, marketing and advertising partners to bring the full weight of our content creation and marketing strength to this important new asset."
"The TV Guide team is excited about this transformative change for the network and online businesses," said TV Guide Network and tvguide.com president Ryan O’Hara. "Lionsgate’s proven content creation capabilities are ideally suited for our properties."
