Lions Gate Entertainment Acquires New Anna Kournikova Workout Video From Octagon CSI

SOURCE: PRNewswire

LOS ANGELES - Lions Gate Home Entertainment, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, has acquired worldwide distribution rights to internationally known tennis star Anna Kournikova's Basic Elements: My Complete Fitness Guide, it was announced by Ron Schwartz, executive vice president of North American Home Entertainment Sales and Operations. Presented and performed by Kournikova, this unique fitness video and DVD features all her moves to mold and maintain her stunning physique including a full body warm-up, a challenging workout and a gentle cooling session. Available in North America on September 25, Kournikova's Basic Elements also includes nutritional tips by the super-fit tennis star and showcases inspiring clips of her in action on the court. Basic Elements will be available on DVD for $19.99 and is priced at $14.99 on VHS. Lions Gate is currently fielding offers for licensing in foreign territories.

"This acquisition is a major coup because Anna Kournikova is one of the most recognized athletes in the world," says Schwartz. "Her unique combination of dazzling athleticism, personal flair and glamorous style captures the media spotlight both on and off the court. Her amazing popularity will definitely drive sales of this unique property."

Says Octagon CSI's Jon Owen, "We are excited to have one of the industry's top video distribution teams behind Anna's fitness video." Adds Octagon's Patrick McGee, "Lions Gate's expanding presence in the sell-through marketplace made them an ideal choice to distribute this exciting new product, and we couldn't be more pleased with our new relationship."

According to an annual survey by Burns Sports & Celebrities Inc., a Chicago based sports marketing firm, Kournikova ranks #4 on a list of sports' most appealing product endorsers. The most recent Forbes Power List, which measures celebrity power based on Internet popularity, press clippings, magazine cover stories, TV and radio mentions and dollars, ranked her at #54 amidst a list of Hollywood's biggest stars, sports' most popular athletes and Washington's most influential politicians, amongst others. Kournikova was among the highest-paid female athletes in 2000, and according to Lycos, is one of the most searched athletes on the Internet.

The deal was brokered by Schwartz, President of Home Entertainment, Acquisitions and New Media Peter Block and Senior Director of Business and Legal Affairs Wendy Jaffe on behalf of Lions Gate, and by Jon Owen for Octagon CSI and Patrick McGee for Octagon Athlete Representation.

Octagon is the sports marketing and event division of The Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG), a global advertising and marketing communications group. Octagon offers clients marketing-led expertise across the eight major disciplines that make up the sports and entertainment market: athlete representation, event management, consultancy, property representation, TV rights sales and distribution, TV production and archive, rights ownership, and licensing and merchandising. Only three years since its inception, Octagon employs over 1,500 people in 41 offices in 21 countries.

Lions Gate (Amex: LGF; Toronto) develops, produces and distributes a broad range of motion picture, television and other filmed entertainment content through its four operation divisions - Motion Picture, Television, Animation and Studio Facilities.