Lionsgate has entered into an agreement with LeapFrog Enterprises, a leading developer of technology-based learning products, and rights holder and producer Chris D'Angelo, to develop, produce and distribute multiple direct-to-DVD feature films.
The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Executive VP of Marketing and Family Entertainment Anne Parducci and Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Legal and Business Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions.
The multi-year deal provides Lionsgate with worldwide rights in all territories except China. In addition, Lionsgate has acquired the home entertainment distribution rights to LeapFrog's valuable catalog, all of which were created and produced by D'Angelo and have sold more than four million units through just five DVD releases.
The rights will begin to transition to Lionsgate in 2009 as they become available.
The announcement comes on the heels of Lionsgate's announcement in March that it has signed a multiyear agreement with family entertainment leader HIT Entertainment to distribute HIT's valuable catalog of children's non-theatrical product throughout North America.
With the LeapFrog and HIT agreements in place, Lionsgate expects its family home entertainment market share of non-theatrical product to grow to approximately 15 percent, positioning the company as one of the three industry leaders in that space.
"The LeapFrog DVD line has been extremely successful because the well- known brand truly resonates with parents who feel that LeapFrog is a name they can trust," said Parducci. "LeapFrog has been synonymous with education for parents and children since the company's inception, and that educational message will be the focal point of all our releases. Creating new educational DVD's and acquiring the LeapFrog library supports our mission of delivering trusted product built on the twin themes of entertainment and education to families throughout North America."
The deal with LeapFrog continues to build on Lionsgate's success distributing product from some of the most prominent family brands in the marketplace. Currently the industry's fourth largest distributor of children's non-theatrical titles and the second largest for children's non- theatrical features, Lionsgate releases to DVD a virtual who's-who in family entertainment brands, including Scholastic's CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG, American Greetings' THE CARE BEARS, Cookie Jar Entertainment's THE DOODLEBOPS, MGA's BRATZ, Nelvana's MISS SPIDER'S SUNNY PATCH FRIENDS.
Lionsgate acquired SPEED RACER and the Marvel Animated Features series in addition to the THOMAS AND FRIENDS, BOB THE BUILDER, BARNEY, ANGELINA BALLERINA from HIT for North American distribution.
