or


[01/25/16 - 01:08 PM]
Discovery Communications' Animal Planet and Lionsgate Partner to Acquire the U.S., Canadian and UK Rights to Million Dollar Duck
The film dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest - the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government.

[via press release from Animal Planet]

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS' ANIMAL PLANET AND LIONSGATE PARTNER TO ACQUIRE THE U.S., CANADIAN AND UK RIGHTS TO MILLION DOLLAR DUCK

Film Premiered Yesterday at Slamdance Film Festival

Announcement Expands Multi-Faceted Partnership Between Lionsgate and Discovery

Park City, UT and Santa Monica, CA, January 25, 2016 - Discovery Communications' Animal Planet and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) have partnered to acquire the rights in the U.S., Canada and the UK to the documentary film sensation MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, the two companies announced today. Animal Planet has acquired television rights to the film while Lionsgate will distribute MILLION DOLLAR DUCK on a limited basis theatrically and on digital home entertainment and packaged media. Directed by Brian Golden Davis, the film had its world premiere on Sunday at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival and will air on Animal Planet in the fall following its theatrical run.

MILLION DOLLAR DUCK dives into the wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest - the only juried art competition run by the U.S. government. The Duck Stamp is among the most successful conservation tools ever created, simultaneously spawning a uniquely American subculture brimming with talent, ego, art, controversy, big money, and migratory waterfowl. Following six wildlife artists striving to win "the Olympics of wildlife art," MILLION DOLLAR DUCK brings to life the high tension competition as one by one each is eliminated, leaving a winner whose life will be changed forever.

"From the moment I saw MILLION DOLLAR DUCK, I knew Animal Planet would be the perfect home for this heartfelt and humorous film," said Rich Ross, Group President of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and Science Channel. "Showcasing this film brings to light this special program that supports wetlands conservation and aligns with our network's goal to activate people on animal welfare concerns."

"We're proud to extend our strategic partnership with Discovery on this terrific film," said Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution Jim Packer. "Poignant, quirky, hilarious and tremendously engaging, MILLION DOLLAR DUCK is the perfect property to kick off our alliance with Discovery on documentary films and other long-form content that creates tremendous opportunities for both our companies."

"Some of the greatest docs ever made have been about either sub-cultures or competitions," added John Hoffman, EVP Documentaries and Specials Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel. "Brian has brought these two genres together in a perfect way that makes us laugh and care. He's made wildlife artists into superstars."

"I'm thrilled to have The Million Dollar Duck find a home with Animal Planet and Lionsgate," said Golden Davis. "I made this film because I wanted to explore the quirky world of The Federal Duck Stamp Contest, where the artists were motivated by their sheer love of nature and conservation, and I can't think of better platforms to help share our 'duck tale' with the world than Animal Planet and Lionsgate."

The deal was negotiated by John Hoffman and Ryan Harrington on behalf of Discovery Communications, EVP Theatrical Acquisitions & Co-Productions Eda Kowan and acquisitions executive Lauren Freeman for Lionsgate and Abby Davis and Adam Galen of Preferred Content on behalf of the filmmakers.

MILLION DOLLAR DUCK is directed by Brian Golden Davis and executive produced by multiple Academy Award winning filmmaker Mark Jonathan Harris and Richard Prager. The editor is Derek Boonstra, the cinematographer is Christian Bruno and Laura Young Lee and Kye Woo Lee are co-producers.

The partnership on MILLION DOLLAR DUCK is the latest in Discovery's expanding relationship with Lionsgate. Discovery and Liberty Global invested in Lionsgate in November 2015, and Lionsgate and Discovery have also announced a home entertainment distribution agreement under which Lionsgate distributes Discovery programming on packaged media platforms in the U.S.

About Animal Planet

Animal Planet, a multi-media business unit of Discovery Communications, is the world's only entertainment brand that immerses viewers in the full range of life in the animal kingdom with rich, deep content via multiple platforms and offers animal lovers and pet owners access to a centralized online, television and mobile community for immersive, engaging, high-quality entertainment, information and enrichment. Animal Planet consists of the Animal Planet television network, available in more than 94 million homes in the US; online assets www.animalplanet.com, the ultimate online destination for all things animal; Animal Planet L!VE, the go-to digital destination for round-the-clock, unfiltered access to the animal kingdom; and other media platforms including a robust Video-on-Demand (VOD) service, and merchandising extensions.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 pay-TV programmer reaching 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including TestTube, Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate is a premier next generation global content leader with a strong and diversified presence in motion picture production and distribution, television programming and syndication, home entertainment, digital distribution, new channel platforms, video games and international distribution and sales. 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 multiple Emmy Award-winning drama Mad Men, the hit broadcast network series Nashville, 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. Its feature film business has been fueled by such successes as the blockbuster Hunger Games franchise, the first two installments of the Divergent franchise,Sicario, The Age of Adaline, CBS/Lionsgate's The DUFF, John Wick, Now You See Me, Roadside Attractions' Love & Mercy and Mr. Holmes,Lionsgate/Codeblack Films' Addicted 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 the 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





  [january 2016]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· SHOWATCH
(series past and present)
· DEVWATCH
(series in development)
· MOVIEWATCH
(tv movies and mini-series)





[10/31/25 - 02:22 PM]
FOX Sports Hits 14.6 Million Viewers for Game 5 of the World Series
The telecast reached a peak viewership of 16,034,000 viewers on FOX between 10:00-10:15 PM ET.

[10/31/25 - 10:42 AM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Scares Up More Wins - Rising for Historic Sixth Week in a Row
"Dancing with the Stars" is the only fall show to increase its overall audience for six consecutive weeks following its season premiere.

[10/31/25 - 06:31 AM]
ESPN Networks Deliver Record College Football Viewership at the Midway Point of the Season, "College GameDay" Continues on Historic Run
Through nine weeks, ESPN networks are averaging 2.3 million viewers per game, their largest audience since 2009 and an increase of 20 percent year-over-year.

[10/31/25 - 06:30 AM]
NBC Sports and Royal Ascot, One of the World's Most Prestigious Horse Racing Meets, Partner on Multi-Year Media Rights Extension
NBC Sports has been presenting Royal Ascot via linear and digital platforms since 2017.

[10/31/25 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Frankenstein" - Guillermo del Toro - Final Trailer - Netflix
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley's classic tale of a brilliant scientist and the creature his monstrous ambition brings to life.

[10/30/25 - 10:31 PM]
Family, Food, and Films: Netflix's "Dining with the Kapoors" Arrives November 21
The special is a heartfelt celebration marking 100 years of the legendary Raj Kapoor, and close to a century of the Kapoor family ruling the box office and our hearts - then, now and always.

[10/30/25 - 03:05 PM]
14.8 Million Viewers Tuned in for World Series Game 4 Across FOX, FOX Deportes & FOX Sports Streaming Services
Viewership peaked at 16,695,000 viewers on FOX between 10:00-10:15 PM ET.

[10/30/25 - 03:01 PM]
Debut of NBC Sports' "Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" Delivers NBA's Largest Pre-Christmas Tuesday Audience Since 1996
"Coast 2 Coast Tuesday" - featuring the New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks (8 p.m. ET) and LA Clippers at Golden State Warriors (11 p.m. ET) - averaged 3.0 million viewers in primetime across NBC and Peacock.

[10/30/25 - 03:01 PM]
Kate Winslet to Narrate Upcoming Documentary from The King's Foundation and Prime Video - "Finding Harmony: A King's Vision"
The new documentary will tell the story of His Majesty The King's lifelong commitment to the philosophy of Harmony and the environment, urging viewers to protect our planet and create a more sustainable future for the next generation.

[10/30/25 - 11:03 AM]
Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Orange County" Three-Part Reunion Begins Thursday, Nov. 6 at 8 P.M. ET/PT
Host Andy Cohen is joined by Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Tamra Judge, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti and Katie Ginella to reflect on an emotionally charged season 19 that led to shifting alliances and broken trust within the group.

[10/30/25 - 10:52 AM]
Video: National Geographic Documentary Films Unveils Trailer and Theatrical Release Dates for Award-Winning "The Tale of Silyan"
The award-winning documentary will make its theatrical debut this fall, opening in select U.S. theaters on November 28 and in U.K. cinemas on December 12.

[10/30/25 - 10:33 AM]
FX's "Adults" Renewed for Second Season on Hulu
The comedy follows a group of twenty-somethings in New York trying to be good people, despite being neither "good" nor "people" yet.

[10/30/25 - 10:01 AM]
Hulu's "King of the Hill" Renewed for Seasons 16 and 17
The upcoming 15th season of "King of the Hill" will premiere on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the US, and on Disney+ internationally in 2026.

[10/30/25 - 09:30 AM]
Video: Starz Unveils Trailer Full of Sex and Slaughter for "Spartacus: House of Ashur" Premiering December 5
The outrageous new chapter in the world of "Spartacus" debuts with a two-episode premiere on Friday, December 5.

[10/30/25 - 08:06 AM]
ID November Programming Highlights
Look for newcomers "The Rocky Mountain Mortician Murder" and "Who Hired the Hitman?" alongside new seasons of "Body Cam" and "The Murder Tapes."