Celestial Pictures Strikes Strategic Alliance With Netmovie To Distribute
Shaw Brothers Films Via 30,000 Internet Cafés In China
Celestial Pictures has announced a strategic deal with Beijing Netmovie Co., Ltd. (Netmovie) to distribute 662 Shaw Brothers films through various cinema lines centered on VV8.com, such as China Internet Cafes Cinema Line, China Cyber Cinema Line, China Campus Cinema Line and China Domestic Cinema Line. The deal will also encompass 170 hours of original TV dramas from Celestial Pictures.
Netmovie, China’s largest digital entertainment content provider, has licensed the rights to release Celestial’s content via the Internet, IPTV, and mobile platforms in Mainland China.
An extensive range of Shaw Brothers films from the 1970s and `80s including The Kingdom And The Beauty, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Love In A Fallen City, and Love On Delivery, as well as TV dramas such as Empress Feng of the Northern Wei Dynasty and Survival will be available on Netmovie’s proprietary online platform (www.vv8.com), reaching 30,000 internet cafés and potentially 90 million households across China.
“The partnership with Netmovie marks an important step forward for Celestial’s Shaw Brothers distribution network in Mainland China,” said Terry Mak, Executive Vice President, Distribution & TV Networks of Celestial Pictures. “With Netmovie’s established network and quality content services, we look forward to introducing these timeless treasures and new TV dramas to millions of Chinese audience.”
The Co-CEO of Netmovie, Shao Yuanyuan says: “The Netmovie insist on the strategy of authorized copy movie, now it is becoming the digital entertainment service provider that owns the most movie resources and channel resources in China. In mainland, it has a large number of audiences. Through this coopertation, the Netmovie will further promote the experience of customers, and further consolidate the leading position of Netmovie inside the market.”
Celestial’s Shaw Brothers Film Library consists of 760 films produced from the 1950s to the 1990s. Since 2003, Celestial Pictures has re-released these treasures of Chinese cinema after restoring and remastering them frame by frame. The films are distributed into cinemas, home video, television, and new media markets worldwide.
About Celestial Pictures Limited
Celestial Pictures is a diversified entertainment company focusing on Asian-language film and television content including production, aggregation, distribution and the operation of TV channels. In 2003, Celestial Pictures launched CELESTIAL MOVIES, which has expanded to 12 territories across Asia Pacific, making it the most broadly distributed 24-hour Chinese-movie channel. The company launched another TV brand in February 2006: WaTV is the first infotainment channel wholly dedicated to the trendy youth lifestyle of the “new China”.
Headquartered in Hong Kong, the company owns the world's largest Chinese film collection including the Shaw Brothers film library. Celestial Pictures is restoring the Shaw Brothers movies and distributing these films into cinemas and the worldwide television and home video markets. With its synergistic businesses in movie and television production, distribution and channels, Celestial Pictures is one of the few truly integrated media companies in Asia. Celestial Pictures is a subsidiary of ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS plc (ASTRO).
Website: www.celestialpictures.com
About ASTRO
ASTRO ALL ASIA NETWORKS plc is the region's leading cross-media operator with Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite television services in Malaysia and Brunei and soon, in Indonesia. It is also the leading commercial radio broadcaster in Malaysia, a major publisher of TV guide and lifestyle magazines and the largest buyer and producer of TV content, as well as the country’s premiere Malay film producer. Celestial Pictures, an ASTRO subsidiary and home to the world’s largest Chinese film library and the Celestial Movies channel, is a major content aggregator with a global distribution network. The strength of these complementary brands has extended into interactive and multi-media services, including provision of content for mobile devices.
AAAN operates out of the All Asia Broadcast Centre, a fully-integrated digital broadcast and production complex in Kuala Lumpur. With a market capitalization of RM10 billion (US$2.7 billion), AAAN ranks among the top 20 companies on Bursa Malaysia.
Website: www.astroplc.com
About Netmovie
The Netmovie Limited was established in 2004, which is the biggest digital entertainment service supporter in China.
The Netmovie takes active business in cyber cafes, Internet, mobile phones, IPTV, digital television, and other comprehensive information network communication channels and gets great success. Various cinema lines centered on VV8.com, such as China Internet Cafes Cinema Line, China Cyber Cinema Line, China Campus Cinema Line, China Domestic Cinema Line and China Mobile Cinema Line, have become outstanding brands inside the market.
The Netmovie actively promotes authorized movie copy in internet industry. It is the partner of most outstanding Chinese movie providers, for example, Chinese Movie Group, Dongsen TV Station, TVB, Asia TV, Enlight Pictures, Sil-Metropole Organization, Media Asia Group. The Netmovie owns the largest movie digital resources of China and solely established 800/400 calling center inside the market to provide telecom-level 7*24-hour supporting technical service. Besides, the Netmovie established the cooperation relationship with video operating enterprises and more than 30,000 internet cafes to provide video service for more than 90M customers and nearly 500M mobile users.
As a strategic partner of “Chinese Art&Sport Stars Group for Propoganda and Cheer of Olympic Games, 2008”, the Netmovie will propaganda and cheer for Olympic Games in every Olympic Games Site and Cultural Square in 2008.
website：www.vv8.com
Celestial Media Contact
Carrie Chu, Communications Manager
Tel.: +852 2927 1131
Fax: +852 2243 1616
Email: carrie.chu@celestialpictures.com;
For more information on Celestial Pictures, please go to www.celestialpictures.com
Chatelin Bruno 
