TED BOOKSTAVER JOINS LIONSGATE TELEVISION AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING SALES

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May 19, 2016, 12:00 ET

Appointment of 20-Year Nonfiction Television Veteran Signals Continued Expansion of Company's Alternative Programming Worldwide

SANTA MONICA, Calif., and VANCOUVER, May 19, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflecting the continued growth of its global television distribution operations, Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) has named 20-year industry veteran Ted Bookstaver to the newly-created position of Senior Vice President of Alternative Programming Sales, the Company announced today.

Mr. Bookstaver will assume responsibility for licensing Lionsgate's growing slate of alternative programming to broadcast, cable and digital platforms around the world, further strengthening the Company's international television distribution infrastructure and capitalizing on growth opportunities throughout the global marketplace.

"Ted is an experienced sales and distribution executive and an adept strategist with great relationships throughout the international marketplace," said Lionsgate EVP of Alternative Programming Jennifer O'Connell. "He is ideally qualified to extend the rapid growth of our alternative programming roster into fresh opportunities worldwide."

"With our third key appointment in the past four weeks, we're continuing to bolster an international television distribution team that is well positioned to respond to developments in a fast-changing global marketplace," said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer. "Ted has the knowledge, vision and relationships to leverage our growing slate of alternative programming across the full spectrum of broadcast, cable, SVOD and digital buyers around the world."

Lionsgate began incubating an unscripted content business several years ago under the direction of Alternative Programming VP Brian Tannenbaum. Ms. O'Connell has continued to build on that momentum since joining the Company last year, and Lionsgate's recent acquisition of a majority stake in Craig Piligian's Pilgrim Media Group has further accelerated the growth of a nonfiction business that now encompasses nearly 50 reality series and a roster of acclaimed producers that includes Fear Factor and Wipeout executive producer Matt Kunitz, Eli Frankel (Project Runway), Jonathan Karsh (My Five Wives) and Adam DiVello (The Hills), among many others.

Lionsgate's slate of nonfiction programming includes Monica the Medium on Freeform, Hellevator on GSN, Douglas Family Gold, which premieres next week on Oxygen, Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian, debuting on E! next year, and Kunitz's survival competition series Kicking & Screaming, which was recently added to Fox Broadcasting's lineup with a January 2017 premiere date. The show is poised to become a global brand for which the Company has retained all international distribution and format rights. Lionsgate will also distribute Pilgrim's reality shows in the international marketplace.

Before joining Lionsgate, Mr. Bookstaver served as Vice President of International Distribution at Dick Clark Productions, Inc. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President and Head of Americas at Shine International, where he managed and led the Americas' sales and acquisition activities.

Previously, he spearheaded global distribution efforts at Eyeworks International Distribution, and also had an eight-year tenure at CBS/King World Productions, where he oversaw the global licensing, production and programming of game and reality formats, including blockbusters Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy!, Hollywood Squares, as well as The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Mr. Bookstaver holds an MBA degree from Pepperdine University and a BA degree in History from Washington University in St. Louis.

ABOUT LIONSGATE

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, international distribution and sales, branded channel platforms, interactive ventures and games, and location-based entertainment. The Company has nearly 80 television shows on 40 different networks spanning its primetime production, distribution and syndication businesses. These include the critically-acclaimed hit series Orange is the New Black, the syndication successes The Wendy Williams Show and Celebrity Name Game (with FremantleMedia), the breakout series The Royals and the Golden Globe-nominated dramedy Casual.

The Company's feature film business spans eight labels and includes the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the Now You See Me, Divergent and John Wick series, Sicario, The Age of Adaline, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes, Codeblack Films' Addicted and breakout concert film Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and Pantelion Films' Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S.

Lionsgate's home entertainment business is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD and box office-to-VOD revenue conversion rates. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 16,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as a foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate and Summit brands remain synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world. www.lionsgate.com

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SOURCE Lionsgate