DEBMAR-MERCURY AND ITV STUDIOS TO LAUNCH NEW U.S. VERSION OF HIT U.K. TALKER ‘THE JEREMY KYLE SHOW’ IN SYNDICATION LATER THIS YEAR

Santa Monica, CA., Jan. 25, 2010 – Debmar-Mercury will team with producer ITV STUDIOS to launch a new U.S. version of the highest-rated U.K. daytime talker, The Jeremy Kyle Show, later this year. Following a limited, multi-week on-air preview, Debmar-Mercury plans to roll out the talk show in full national syndication in 2011, announced Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Mort Marcus and Ira Bernstein, and Paul Buccieri, president-CEO of ITV STUDIOS.

Averaging a 32 share among women and a 26 share of all individuals watching TV, The Jeremy Kyle Show has posted annual ratings increases every year since its 2005 debut and ranks as the most-viewed daytime program in the U.K. More than 1,000 episodes of the series have been produced.

“We believe American viewers, stations and advertisers will wholeheartedly embrace Jeremy Kyle, who is such a great talent and brings his unique sensibility to a proven format, in the new U.S. version of this very popular series,” Bernstein says.  

 Marcus comments, “ITV Studios’ superb creative vision convinced us that Jeremy Kyle can conquer another continent. His series also provides us with another very strong talk format that can spark the interest of viewers during a limited preview window and go on to become a long-term franchise for us, just as The Wendy Williams Show did.”

“In less than five years, Jeremy Kyle has become a phenomenon in U.K. daytime television and has the talent to accomplish the same feat here,” Buccieri says. “This well-honed format crafted by ITV, combined with Debmar-Mercury’s winning track record as an innovative producer-distributor and our own ability to successfully adapt TV formats for U.S. viewers, gives us great confidence in this project.”

Kyle, a Londoner by birth, previously presented a portfolio of talk radio programs for more than 12 years in the U.K., where his unique ability to dispense honest and direct relationship advice quickly established him as a hugely popular household name. The charismatic host’s talent caught the attention of the U.K.’s leading commercial broadcaster ITV, which expanded the talk radio format to television and saw his show quickly become a top rating centerpiece of ITV1’s daytime schedule.

Adds Kyle, “I am really excited to be working with ITV Studios and Debmar-Mercury in the USA to recreate the success of the U.K. show stateside.  I am particularly looking forward to meeting ordinary American people and hearing about their extraordinary lives.  This show isn’t about me; it is about their issues and problems and how we can face them together, with complete honesty and openness, in front of U.S .audiences.”

Lonnie Burstein, executive VP of programming and production for Debmar-Mercury, and Buccieri negotiated the deal and will jointly oversee production of the show.

The U.S. version of The Jeremy Kyle Show will be distributed domestically in the U.S. by Debmar-Mercury and internationally by ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment.

About ITV STUDIOS, Inc.

ITV STUDIOS, Inc., the U.S. based production entity of ITV STUDIOS in the U.K. is one of the largest international producers for the U.S. market and a major force in acquiring, developing and producing reality and scripted programming for US networks.

ITV STUDIOS is a world leader in television production and distribution, with international production centers in the UK, Germany and Australia as well as America and programs distributed to over 155 territories worldwide. Our US hit TV show, Nanny 911, has been sold to more than 60 countries. Other ITV Studios series include Hell’s Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, Steven Segal Lawman, First 48 and the upcoming NBC series “Prime Suspect.”

About Debmar-Mercury:

Debmar-Mercury, a worldwide media company specializing in syndication, network, cable and ancillary markets, produces and distributes The Wendy Williams Show; distributes Tyler Perry’s House of Payne and spinoff Meet the Browns; distributes a new, untitled comedy debuting in 2010 from Gary Sanchez Productions’ Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy; distributes Are We There Yet?, a new sitcom debuting in 2010 from Revolution Studios’ Joe Roth, Cube Vision’s Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez, and Show-Runner Ali LeRoi; distributes strips Family Feud, South Park and True Hollywood Story, as well as the weekly Deadliest Catch; and a movie library featuring titles from Revolution Studios and Lionsgate.   Debmar-Mercury is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next-generation studio.

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CONTACTS:

For Debmar-Mercury:

Jim Benson

The Lippin Group

323.965.1990

jbenson@lippingroup.com

For ITV Studios:

Paul Nichols

The Lippin Group

323.965.1990

pnichols@lippingroup.com