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Headline, Industry News

Movie Central 2007/2008 lineup

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TORONTO, Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central announced today highlights from its 2007/2008 schedule. As the home of HBO and Showtime, compelling original programming and blockbuster films, Movie Central continues to bring Western Canada the best that pay television has to offer.

"With more than a dozen new and returning original HBO programs, a raft of Showtime productions, three original Canadian drama series in the works, as well as the latest Hollywood blockbusters viewers have come to expect from Movie Central, the coming season promises to be very exciting," said Andrew Eddy, Vice President, Programming Strategy and Investment, Movie Central.

"With new premieres every week, as well as access to programming in HD and On Demand, Movie Central provides its audience with a continuous and unmatched selection of exceptional and groundbreaking programming all year round."

NEW PROGRAMMING INFORMATION

BLOCKBUSTER MOVIES

Hollywood blockbuster titles premiering this September include Babel, The Departed, Flags of Our Fathers, The Queen, Marie Antoinette and Pursuit of Happiness. Box-office hits coming this October include: Borat!, Casino Royale, Pan’s Labyrinth and Volver.

HBO DRAMA SERIES

Tell Me You Love Me

The highly anticipated, drama/comedy series Tell Me You Love Me focuses on three couple’ connection, or disconnection, between sex and intimacy. They all share a therapist, Dr. May Foster, who counsels the couples in the different stages of their relationships. Jamie and Hugo, in their 20’s, are engaged, but dealing with fidelity issues. Thirty-something’s Carolyn and Palek are frustrated by their inability to get pregnant, and Dave and Katie,

in their 40’s, have a committed relationship but have stopped having sex. This boundary-pushing one-hour series also stars Jane Alexander (Emmy® winner for Warm Springs; four-time Oscar® nominee), Michelle Borth (Wonderland), Tim DeKay (Carnivale), Aislinn Paul (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Adam Scott
(Knocked Up), Kate Towne (Blades of Glory), Sonya Walger (Lost), Ally Walker (Profiler) and Luke Kirby (Slings & Arrows). Tell Me You Love Me premieres

September 9 at 10 p.m. PT

Five Days

This five-part BBC and HBO miniseries explores the disappearance of Leanne, a young mother in a quiet British suburb, and the circumstances that leave her children abandoned far from home. This intricate thriller tracks five 24-hour periods following her abduction. As each episode unravels, it becomes clear that nobody is as they appear to be and the investigation into Leanne’s disappearance provides surprises at every corner. Series stars David Oyelowo, Hugh Bonneville, Janet McTeer, Penelope Wilton, Patrick Malahide and Sarah Smart and premieres in October.

Other new HBO series to join the lineup later in the 2007/2008 schedule, along with season five of the Peabody Award-winning cop drama The Wire and season five of Entourage, are: In Treatment, a serialized comedy executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and starring Gabriel Byrne as a psychiatrist who escapes his own patients by seeing a therapist himself; John Adams, a miniseries about the American Revolution starring Paul Giamatti and executive

produced by Tom Hanks; 12 Miles of Bad Road, starring Lili Tomlin as the matriarch of a wealthy Texas real estate family whose business and outrageous wealth complicate even the smallest family matter; and Generation Kill, a miniseries about a group of young Marines whose unit is part of the first wave of American military assault on Baghdad. The seven-part series is executive produced and co-written by David Simon and Ed Burns, the team behind the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire.

HBO ORIGINAL FILMS AND DOCUMENTARIES

Children of God: Lost and Found In this documentary, filmmaker Noah Thompson tells the story of his search for his siblings and other young deserters from the Christian cult "The Children of God" where they were brought up. Premieres on Thursday,

September 6 at 7 p.m. PT

Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq The Sopranos star James Gandolfini returns to the small screen as the executive producer of the documentary Alive Day Memories: Home From Iraq, a poignant portrait of the lives of U.S. soldiers upon returning from Iraq.

Premieres on Sunday, September 9 at 7 p.m. PT.

Pinochet’s Last Stand

The HBO original film Pinochet’s Last Stand tells the story of Chilean General Augusto Pinochet’s Amnesty International house arrest in the U.K. for crimes against humanity in his own country and his controversial relationship with former ally and then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Premieres on Tuesday, September 11 at 7 p.m. PT.

Little Rock High: 50 Years Later

The shocking tale of desegregation in 1957 at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas and the current state of modern racial divisions 50 years later. Premieres on Tuesday, September 25 at 7 p.m. PT.

All programs are available in Eastern Canada on The Movie Network.

SHOWTIME DRAMA SERIES

As home to Showtime in Western Canada, Movie Central introduces new seasons of the highly acclaimed and award-winning dramas Dexter and Brotherhood this fall, airing back-to-back and day-and-date with the U.S.

Dexter Season 2

Returning for another season of suspense Dexter, based on Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic investigator for the Miami Police Department, who takes the law into his own hands by killing the criminal and morally bankrupt who are above the law or who have slipped through the cracks of justice. Joining the cast is award-winning actor Keith Carradine (Deadwood) as Lt. Frank Lundy, Special Agent for the FBI, who is brought on board to investigate a gruesome find of dead bodies in Miami. The series also stars Jennifer Carpenter, Lauren Velez, Julie Benz, Erik King, David Zayas and James Remar and premieres on Sunday,

September 30 at 8 p.m. PT.

Brotherhood Season 2

The old-world code of street justice and loyalty rule in this mobster drama about two brothers living on "The Hill," an Irish-American neighbourhood in the port city of Providence, Rhode Island. The second season of this critically-acclaimed series, recently honoured with a prestigious Peabody Award and called a "masterpiece" by the Associated Press, brings Tony®Award-winning actor Brian F. O’Byrne on as a series regular for season two. O’Byrne will play Colin Carr, a cousin of the Caffee brothers who comes to Providence from Ireland and gets involved in the criminal world on The Hill. The series also stars Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke, Annabeth Gish, Ethan Embry, Kevin Chapman, Fiona Erickson and Fionnula Flanagan and premieres on Sunday, September 30 at 9 p.m. PT.

CANADIAN ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES

Recognized as a major force in producing world-class dramatic series for pay TV, with visionary projects, strong creative teams, exceptional writing and cinematic production values, Movie Central is proud to announce its lineup of upcoming original productions. All three original series are produced in collaboration with and broadcast on The Movie Network in Eastern Canada.

ZOS: Zone of Separation

Debuting in early 2008 and produced by Whizbang Films (H2O and Men with Brooms) the eight-part series ZOS: Zone of Separation explores the life-and-death struggle to enforce a United Nations-brokered ceasefire, as peacekeepers face the harsh reality of living in a violent Zone of Separation.

The Weight

This eight-part series tells the story of Max and Donny, two cops who are often as morally ambiguous as the criminals they pursue. Created and written by critically-acclaimed playwright/screenwriter George F. Walker (This is Wonderland and Criminals in Love) and Dani Romain (This is Wonderland) and produced by The Nightingale Company, the story is told from a cop’s point of view. Series premieres in 2008.

ReGenesis Season 4

ReGenesis returns to the schedule for a fourth season in 2008. Exploring the threat of science on society the award-winning drama has been sold to over 100 countries around the world including the U.S. and stars Peter Outerbridge and Wendy Crewson.

Front Page, Industry News

Movie Central and TMN present HBO films’ Tsunami, the aftermath

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TORONTO /CNW/ Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (Western Canada) and Astral Media’s The Movie Network (Eastern Canada) present HBO Films’ Tsunami, The Aftermath, premiering day-and-date with HBO on Sunday,December 10 at 7 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 8 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.

In this tale of personal loss, survival and hope, Tsunami, The Aftermath follows a group of fictional characters whose lives are irrevocably transformed by the cataclysmic natural disaster of December 26, 2004. A celebration of the human spirit, this story explores the lessons for humanity raised by an uncontrollable disaster. Tsunami, The Aftermath examines how personal and cultural fault lines can be shattered when catastrophe hits and how people come together regardless of class, social or racial background, to cope with tragedy and to help each other rebuild their lives.

Among those whose stories followed are: a young couple searching for their child; a Thai survivor who loses his family and tries to prevent developers from seizing the land his village is built on; an Englishwoman whose husband and son are missing; an ambitious reporter; a relief worker; an overwhelmed British official whose faith in the system is torn apart; and a leading Thai meteorologist, whose earlier report detailing the inevitability of a tsunami hitting the affected area was ignored. In addition to Academy Award®-nominees Toni Collette, Tim Roth and Sophie Okonedo, the cast also includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hugh Bonneville and Gina McKee.

The mini-series is based on true events from the tsunami that hit South and South East Asia on December 26, 2004. Extensive research was done before production commenced through interviews with local residents for input and accuracy. The Thai governments and communities were in full support of the project and cooperative throughout the process enabling a high level of authenticity to the story.

Tsunami, The Aftermath will be available on Movie Central On Demand and The Movie Network OnDemand the Tuesday following its network premiere, and will simulcast on The Movie Network’s High Definition channel. The two parts will also air back-to-back on Tuesday, December 26 beginning at 8 p.m. ET on The Movie Network’s MMore.

– Part One airs Sunday, December 10 at 7 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 8 p.m. ET on The Movie Network.

– Part Two airs Sunday, December 17 at 7 p.m. PT on Movie Central and 8 p.m. ET on The Movie Network 

Headline, Industry News

Corus fourth quarter and year end

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TORONTO, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ – Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B; NYSE: CJR) announced fourth quarter and year end financial results today. Corus completed a very successful fiscal year with strong operating results and cash flows.

Fiscal 2006 Year End Highlights – Combined Radio and Television revenues up 8% for quarter and 9% for full year – Combined Radio and Television segment profit up 7% for quarter and 11% for full year – $94 million in free cash flow(x), up 16% from last year – Positive cash flow and segment profit from Content

"It was a strong year for Corus and the fourth quarter was no exception. We had another excellent quarter for our Television division, driven by strong ratings and subscriber growth for our brands," said John Cassaday, President and Chief Executive Officer, Corus Entertainment Inc. "Our Content business continued to post positive results and Radio remained strong outside Quebec, where we are integrating newly acquired stations."

Fourth Quarter Results:

Consolidated revenues for the fourth quarter ended August 31, 2006 were $185.0 million, up 6% from $175.3 million last year. Consolidated segment profit was $44.5 million, up 5% from $42.6 million last year. Net income for the quarter was $46.6 million ($1.11 basic and $1.09 diluted), compared to income of $9.7 million ($0.23 basic and $0.22 diluted) last year. Net income for the quarter was positively impacted by approximately $37.0 million in income tax rate changes and other income tax items.

Corus Television contributed quarterly revenues of $94.7 million, up 13% from $83.4 million last year, led by continued specialty advertising growth of 20% and subscriber growth of 12%. Quarterly segment profit increased to $34.1 million, up 11% from $30.8 million last year.

Corus Radio revenues were $66.3 million, up 2% from $65.3 million last year. Segment profit was $15.8 million, essentially unchanged from the prior year. On a same station(x) basis, both revenues and segment profit were up by approximately 4%.

Corus Content revenues were $26.8 million, down 4% from $28.0 million last year. Segment profit was $2.6 million, compared to $1.8 million last year.

Full Year Results:

Consolidated revenues for the year ended August 31, 2006 were $726.3 million, up 6% from $683.1 million last year. Consolidated segment profit was $214.1 million, up 10% from $195.3 million last year. Net income for the year was $35.5 million ($0.84 basic and $0.82 diluted earnings per share), compared to $71.1 million ($1.66 basic and $1.65 diluted earnings per share) last year, as the Company recorded a $132.0 million pre-tax debt refinancing charge related to the purchase of the Senior Subordinated Notes and the termination of cross-currency agreements associated with those notes in the second quarter of fiscal 2006. In addition, net income was positively impacted by approximately $37.0 million in income tax rate changes and other income tax items.

Corus Television, led by specialty advertising growth of 14% and subscriber growth of 10%, contributed full year revenues of $393.3 million, up 11% from $354.2 million last year. Movie Central increased its subscriber base from 748,000 at August 31, 2005 to 822,000 at the end of the fiscal year. Full year segment profit increased to $164.2 million, up 17% from $140.8 million last year.

Corus Radio revenues were $268.4 million, up 6% from $252.7 million last year. Segment profit was $68.4 million, down 1% from $69.0 million last year. Revenue and segment profit were impacted by the sale of Corus’ Red Deer assets and the multi-station swap in the province of Quebec. On a same station(x) basis, revenues were up 6% and segment profit was up by approximately 7%.

Corus Content revenues were $72.1 million, down 12% from $82.3 million last year. Segment profit was $5.6 million, compared to $3.6 million last year. Revenues were down in fiscal 2006 as fewer episodes were delivered and Beyblade merchandising revenues declined towards the end of fiscal 2005. The division continues to generate positive cash flow.

Corus has continued to purchase shares under its Normal Course Issuer Bid announced in December 2005. At the end of August 2006, the Company had purchased for cancellation 1,034,700 Class B Non-Voting Shares at an average price of $35.56 per share.

"We are particularly pleased with the excellent progress that we are making in generating cash," said Heather Shaw, Executive Chair, Corus Entertainment Inc. "This supports our desire to enhance shareholder value through such means as increased dividends and share buybacks."

Corus Entertainment Inc. reports in Canadian dollars.