April 14, 2006

'WILDFIRE' TAKES THE TRIPLE CROWN WITH THIRD SEASON ORDER OF ABC FAMILY'S HIGHEST RATED ORIGINAL SERIES FROM LIONSGATE

Production Of 13 One-Hour Episodes To Begin This Summer


ABC Family has picked up a third season of the original drama series, WILDFIRE, it was announced today by Paul Lee, president, ABC Family. A total of 13 one-hour episodes will be produced for the third season order with production set to begin this summer in New Mexico. The drama, produced by Lionsgate (NYSE and TSX:LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, in association with Piller² and The Segan Company, is set in the world of horse racing and centers on the struggles of a young woman (played by Genevieve Cortese) to turn her life around. The series also stars, Greg Serano (“Kingpin”), Nana Visitor (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”), Micah Alberti ("All My Children"), Andrew Hoeft, James Read, Ryan Sypek and Nicole Tubiola.

"We are thrilled to be renewing WILDFIRE," said Lee. "The show has done tremendously well for us, drawing in key demos and establishing ABC Family as a home for quality dramas."

“We’ve been blessed with an outstanding cast and wonderful creative partners in Piller² and The Segan Company,” said Kevin Beggs, president of television, programming and production, Lionsgate. “We’ve also enjoyed great support from ABC Family, and we are looking forward to another successful season of a series that we see as one of the staples of our primetime lineup of cable programming.”

For its second season WILDFIRE has increased its time period delivery double digits, versus year-ago in key demos. The series increased 50% in HH rating (1.2 vs. 0.8), 49% in total viewers (1,555 vs. 1,041), 25% with Adults 18-34 (0.5 vs. 0.4) and 55% with teens 12-17 (1.7 vs. 1.1).

ABC Family's highest rated original drama, returns with more secrets, seductions and suspense. Kris is now a local celebrity since riding Wildfire, but even her new-found fame can't keep her from thinking about Junior. She also has the support of the Ritter family, but realizes it takes a lot of work to maintain that trust, and one wrong move can cause her world to tumble.

WILDFIRE is produced by Lionsgate in association with Piller² and The Segan Company. Lloyd Segan (“The Dead Zone,” "The Bachelor," "Boondock Saints," "Bones") and Marjorie David (“Dark Angel,” “Chicago Hope”) serve as executive producers.

Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio and is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of more than 5,000 titles is a valuable source of stable, recurring revenue and is a foundation for the growth of the company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand name is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

Distributed in over 89 million homes, ABC Family features original movies, series and specials. Storytelling about today's relationships – with all of their diversity, dysfunction, humor and passion.

No comments: