SLINGS & ARROWS Among Series to Be Streamed on Acorn TV

Starting today, Acorn TV, the first British TV focused streaming service, streams one of its few non-British series with the first season of the most critically-acclaimed theater series ever,  SLINGS & ARROWS featuring Paul Gross, Rachel McAdams, and Mark McKinney. Additionally, Acorn TV offers the complete series of Fortysomething starring Hugh Laurie as a funny, pre-House doctor on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The series co-stars Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as well as The Hobbit and the next Star Trek villain) as one of his sons.

Acorn TV continues to feature more than 125 hours of the very best in British mysteries and dramas at a great value of just $2.99 a month. Currently streaming is the North American premiere of Midsomer Murders, Set 21, featuring new lead detective John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), and the complete 40-episode Pie in the Sky series starring Harry Potter’s Richard Griffiths. Additionally, Acorn TV streams full seasons/miniseries of Keira Knightley and Sam Neill in Doctor Zhivago; Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) and Oscar-nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) in Fingersmith; David Suchet in Agatha Christie’s Poirot; Emmy-winner Damian Lewis (Homeland) in The Forsyte Saga; Tom Wilkinson in First Among Equals; among many others.

Acorn TV recently announced an increase of programming by 200% since its launch in June 2011, the addition of a monthly option (just $2.99) and availability in Canada, and month-long marathons, like November’s Pie in the Sky complete 40-episode marathon. Acorn TV is available on Roku, iPhones, iPads, Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Tablet, Apple TV, Google TV, among others. AcornOnline.com/TV

Slings & Arrows:

The universally acclaimed, hit Canadian series stars Paul Gross (Due South), Don McKellar (Childstar), Martha Burns (Screening), Mark McKinney (The Kids in the Hall) and Rachel McAdams (The Notebook). Dramatizing the backstage trials and tribulations of a Shakespearean theatre troupe, Slings & Arrows features intelligent writing, masterful acting, and a stellar ensemble cast. Paul Gross stars as Geoffrey Tennant, the passionate but unstable artistic director of the New Burbage Theatre Festival. Haunted by the ghost of his predecessor and former mentor (Stephen Ouimette), he struggles to realize his creative vision while handling touchy actors, a jittery general manager (McKinney), a pretentious guest director (McKellar), and his own tempestuous romance with the Festival’s leading lady (Burns). Slings & Arrows aired in the U.S. on the Sundance Channel and has won numerous awards (Canadian Comedy Award, Directors Guild of Canada, Writers Guild of Canada, and 13 Gemini Awards). The series is created and written by Susan Coyne, Mark McKinney, and Bob Martin.

Fortysomething:

The hilarious 2003 television series stars two-time Golden Globe®-winner Hugh Laurie, who also directed the first three episodes. Before House, Laurie honed his doctor-playing skills in this hit British comedy. This six-episode series co-stars Anna Chancellor (BBC’s The Hour, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and Benedict Cumberbatch (BBC’s Sherlock, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Hobbit). Laurie stars as Paul Slippery, an anxiety-ridden British doctor suffering a midlife crisis. His wife (Chancellor) has embarked on a new career and perhaps an extramarital affair or two. His three oversexed sons (including Cumberbatch) mock him without mercy. And at work he’s tangled in red tape and tormented by a flaky colleague.

Coming Nov. 12th to Acorn TV:
Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, Series 1 & 2 as well as Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers in Fresh Fields. .

DVD Gift Sets:
Acorn Media is releasing several of our best-selling series in some of our nicest and biggest value-priced sets ever. They include:
· Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Early Cases Collection - 45 mysteries, 13-Disc Blu-ray $250, 18-Disc DVD $200, Series 1-6 (Oct. 23)

· The Complete Red Green Show: High (Quality)/Quantity Collector’s Set – 50 discs, 300 episodes, 15 seasons, $300 (Oct. 16)

· Wish Me Luck: The Complete Collection – 6-disc, $80, Series 1-3 (Oct. 23)

· The Duchess of Duke Street Complete Collection – 31 episodes, 10 disc, $80 (Oct. 23)

· As well as earlier 2012 releases: The Costume Drama Classic Collection (15 discs, $99), Joseph Campbell: Mythos-The Complete Series (6-disc, $99), The Best of Foyle’s War (6-discs, $50), Midsomer Murders: Mayhem & Mystery Files (15 feature-length mysteries, $150, Series 10-11), and Poldark: The Complete Collection (8-discs, $80).

Acorn Media/Athena DVD Release Calendar (DVDs available upon request):
Oct. 16: Waterloo Road Series 1, Brave New World, The Complete Red Green Show, and Bill Moyers: A World of Ideas II-Great Thinkers
Oct. 23: Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Early Cases Collection (Series 1-6, DVD/Blu-ray), The Duchess of Duke Street Complete Collection, and Wish Me Luck: Complete Collection
Nov. 6: Vera Series 2, Narrow Escapes of WWII, and Cornwall with Caroline Quentin

Acorn Media is an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. Company:

RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premier independent licensee and distributor of entertainment content and programming in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia with over 5,200 exclusive titles. RLJE is a leader in numerous genres via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Image (stand-up comedy, feature films), One Village (urban), Acacia (fitness), Slingshot (faith), Athena (educational), Criterion (art films) and Madacy (gift sets). These titles are distributed in multiple formats including DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, digital streaming, broadcast television (including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical. Via its majority-owned subsidiary Agatha Christie Limited, RLJE controls the intellectual property and publishing rights to some of the greatest works of mystery fiction, including stories of the iconic sleuths Miss Marple and Poirot. And through its direct-to-consumer business, RLJE has direct contacts and billings relationships with millions of consumers.

RLJE leverages its management experience to acquire, distribute, and monetize existing and original content for its many distribution channels, including its branded digital subscription channels, and engages a distinct audience with programming that appeals directly to their unique viewing interests. RLJE has proprietary e-commerce web sites for the Acorn and Acacia brands, and owns the recently launched Acorn TV digital subscription service.

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