ION Television Heats up Primetime with New Original Coast Guard Search and Rescue Drama "The Guard"

Weekly Series Premieres Saturday, March 13 with Back-to-Back Episodes at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM, ET

Series Guest Stars David James Elliot ("JAG")

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- "Keeping your head above water" takes on new meaning in ION Television's new original primetime high-action marine rescue series, "The Guard." The series premieres for the first time to the U.S. audience with a two-hour block of back-to-back episodes on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM, ET. Following its debut, "The Guard" will continue to air on ION Television in the same two-hour time period with back-to-back episodes each Saturday night. "The Guard" centers around four members of the Canadian Coast Guard Search and Rescue Team who knowingly place themselves at risk everyday in order to save lives.

"Coming off the critically-acclaimed success of our first original drama 'Durham County,' we are sure viewers will enjoy the sexy, adrenaline-filled search and rescue drama 'The Guard.'"

"We are excited to add 'The Guard' to our lineup of original programming," said Kristine Hunsinger, Senior Vice President, Planning, Scheduling and Acquisitions, ION Media Networks. "Coming off the critically-acclaimed success of our first original drama 'Durham County,' we are sure viewers will enjoy the sexy, adrenaline-filled search and rescue drama 'The Guard.'"

Produced by Halifax Film and Brightlight Pictures, "The Guard" is a one-hour character-driven drama series that focuses on the lives of an imperfect, offbeat and sometimes, difficult rescue team. Led by Duty Captain Miro Da Silva (Steve Bacic), these heroic Coast Guard rescue specialists put their lives in danger as they dangle from helicopters and plunge into seas in order to rescue those in peril. Off-duty, rough waters still plague the team as they deal with their own personal issues. Da Silva is having financial troubles, Rescue Specialist Jeremy Guilbaut (Andrew Vanderlee) is suffering from emotional problems after a rescue gone awry, Rescue Specialist Carly Greig (Zoie Palmer) is an alcoholic with commitment issues and Rescue Specialist Laura Nelson (Claudette Fink) lives with David Nelson (David James Elliott from "JAG") who suffers from MS.

Writers for "The Guard" include Raymond Storey, Peter Smith, James Taylor Phillips, Abigail Kinch, Michael MacLennan and Karen X. Tulchinsky. Charles Bishop, Stephen Hegyes, Raymond Storey and Shawn Williamson serve as executive producers. The series has received 3 Gemini Award nominations and 11 Leo Award nominations including two wins: Best Supporting Female Performance for Julie Patzwald and Best Supporting Female Performance for Eve Harlow.

ION Television acquired the exclusive U.S. rights to the award-winning original TV series, "The Guard" from Lions gate. In addition, the network secured all U.S. television, digital media rights, internet streaming and video-on-demand rights.

About ION Television

ION Television (www.iontelevision.com) is a general entertainment network which reaches over 97 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable and satellite distribution systems. Launched in 2006, ION Television features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of CBS Television, NBC Universal, Twentieth Television and Warner Bros. Parent company, ION Media Networks, Inc., owns and operates the nation's largest broadcast television station group. Using its digital multicasting capability, ION Media Networks has launched the digital TV brands qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile and out-of-home transmission technology using over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit www.ionmedia.com.

About Halifax Film, a DHX Media company

Halifax Film, co-founded by Michael Donovan and Charles Bishop develops and produces original film and television programming. Halifax Film manages and co-ordinates all aspects of a program's life, including developing original ideas; purchasing literary rights; arranging production financing; carrying out production and post-production; and exploiting worldwide distribution rights. Halifax Film is a subsidiary of DHX Media Ltd., a leading international producer and distributor of television programming and interactive content with an emphasis on children, family and youth markets.

About Brightlight Pictures Inc.

Founded in 2001 by producing partners Stephen Hegyes and Shawn Williamson, Brightlight Pictures is a feature film and television production company that develops, finances and produces feature film and television projects for the international marketplace. Brightlight has successfully completed thirty feature film and television projects in the past six years, working with such stars as Justin Timberlake, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Morgan Freeman, Al Pacino, Anne Hathaway, Kevin Spacey, Elijah Wood, Jaime King, Mandy Moore and Nicholas Cage among others. Brightlight is committed to developing diverse high-quality feature film and television projects with solid commercial appeal.