Celestial Pictures (Celestial), the Chinese motionpicture company and operator of regional pay-TV channels, announced todaythe signing of a multi-year output deal with one of the leading Chinese movie companies in Hong Kong, Emperor Motion Pictures(EMP). The deal gives Celestial Pictures’ flagship channel CELESTIAL MOVIES (CM) the exclusive first run pay-TV rights to broadcast the entire upcoming slate of theatrical productions from EMP. Territories covered under the deal include Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. In consideration of today’s multiplatform market, Pay-Per-View and VOD (Video-On-Demand) rights were also expressly included in the deal.  

CM subscriberswill be the first to watch on TV some of the most anticipated and star-studded Chinese movies of 2010 and 2011. Movies such as EMP’s big budget martial arts epic Shaolin,directed by Benny Chan, starring Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse and featuring a special appearance by Jackie Chan and the high-profile action comedy, Let The Bullets Fly, starring Chow Yun-Fat, Jiang Wen (who also directs), Ge You and Carina Lau, will undoubtedly thrill and dazzle CM viewers.

“EMP continues to produce and/or distribute some of the most exciting, high-concept movies in Asia and we are thrilled to partner with such a prolific company to premiere their slate on CELESTIAL MOVIES. The EMP output deal affirms the commitment we have made to our channel affiliates and our subscribers to bring them not just one or two, but a continuous stream of the top Chinese and Asian blockbuster hits on our channel and on-demand as well in the applicable markets.” said Ross Pollack, CEO, Celestial Pictures.

“EMPstrivesto produce quality films with a broad international appeal,” said Albert Lee, CEO, Emperor Motion Pictures.  “We are excitedto have concluded an exclusiveoutput deal with Celestial Movies as it gives us a solid and proven platform to showcase our films to an even wider audience throughout the region.” 

Today’s announcement follows an output deal signed with Media Asia Distribution Co., Ltd. (Media Asia) earlier this year. Celestial Pictures’ strong alliance with the most prominent Chinese film production companies gives it unrivalled access to the most high-profile and widely-released Chinese movies in the market, firmly reinforcing CELESTIAL MOVIES’ position as the leading and most broadly distributed Chinese movie channel in Asia.