New York/Beverly Hills – November 30, 2010 – AMC and Anchor Bay Entertainment announced today that Anchor Bay Entertainment will distribute AMC’s original hit series, "The Walking Dead," on Blu-rayTM and DVD in the U.S. and Canada. "The Walking Dead" premiered on AMC on Sunday, October 31st – Halloween night and its debut reigns as the biggest series debut in cable’s history among Adults 18-49 with 4.2 million*. Season one consists of six, one-hour episodes. Today’s announcement was made jointly by Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment and Marci Wiseman, Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for AMC.
*Source: Nielsen Media Research. Live + 3 data
"We’re pleased to be working on ’The Walking Dead’ series with the team at AMC," Clark said. "We have some unique plans for the release and can’t wait to put them into motion. We’re lucky to have such talented and committed partners at the network."
"Anchor Bay is the leading distributor for the horror genre, and we couldn’t have a better partner as we expand into this lucrative new market," Wiseman said. "’The Walking Dead’ is an epic, edge-of-your-seat drama and we are excited to extend its life into the retail marketplace."
"Anchor Bay is the perfect home for ’The Walking Dead,’ " added Kevin Kasha, Executive Vice President of Worldwide Acquisitions and Co-Productions of Anchor Bay Films. "Over the years, the Anchor Bay Entertainment brand has become synonymous with the horror genre and this series is horror at its absolute best."
"The Walking Dead" is based on the comic book series written by Robert Kirkman and published by Image Comics. Kirkman serves as an executive producer and three-time Academy Award® nominee Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) serves as writer, director and executive producer. The series’ other stellar executive producers are Gale Anne Hurd (The Terminator, Aliens, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk), chairman of Valhalla Motion Pictures, David Alpert from Circle of Confusion, and Charles "Chic" Eglee ("Dexter," "The Shield," "Dark Angel").
"The Walking Dead" tells the story of the months and years that ensue after a zombie apocalypse. It follows a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, who travel in search of a safe and secure home. He goes on to explore the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies who take a toll on the survivors, and sometimes the interpersonal conflicts present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies that roam the country. Over time, the characters are changed by the constant exposure to death and some grow willing to do anything to survive.
The deal for "The Walking Dead" was negotiated by Bill Clark, Kevin Kasha, and Richard Turner for Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Marci Wiseman for AMC.
About AMC
AMC reigns as the only network to ever win the Golden Globe® Award for Best Television Series – Drama three years in a row and the only basic cable network to win back-to-back Primetime Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Drama Series. Whether commemorating favorite films from every genre and decade from the most comprehensive library or creating acclaimed original productions, the AMC experience is an uncompromising celebration of great stories. AMC’s original stories include the Emmy® Award-winning dramas "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," and insightful non-scripted programming such as "AMC News." AMC further demonstrates its commitment to the art of storytelling with curated movie franchises like "AMC Hollywood Icon" and "AMC Complete Collection." Available in more than 95 million homes (Source: Nielsen Media Research), AMC is a subsidiary of Rainbow Media Holdings LLC, which includes sister networks IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv and Wedding Central. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. AMC: Story Matters Here SM.
About Anchor Bay Entertainment
Anchor Bay Entertainment is the home entertainment division of Starz Media, LLC. It includes the Anchor Bay Films and Manga Entertainment brands. It distributes feature films, children’s entertainment, fitness, TV series, documentaries, anime and other filmed entertainment on DVD and Blu-rayTM formats. It is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. of the theatrical titles from Overture Films. Headquartered in Beverly Hills, CA, Anchor Bay Entertainment has offices in Troy, MI, as well as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Starz Media (www.starzmedia.com) is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group (NASDAQ: LSTZA).