Press release from SBS
SBS Content Sales and Distribution today announced that it will renew its three-year DVD distribution deal with independent distribution partner Madman Entertainment.
SBS and Madman have released more than 200 DVDs of Australian and international programs since March 2007, including three series of the popular UK drama Skins and local successes Food Safari, Wilfred and AFI Award winner East West 101.
SBS Manager DVD Acquisitions and Development, Janine Burdeu said: “SBS is delighted to be continuing the partnership with Madman, which for the past three years has led to unprecedented growth in the SBS DVD business.”
The decision to reappoint Madman Entertainment comes just four months after SBS announced that it had achieved unit sales of 500,000DVDs in the past 30 months.
National Manager, Content Sales and Distribution, Sharon Ramsay-Luck said: “After such success with DVD sales, it was natural for us to build on this alliance with Madman Entertainment and work collaboratively towards achieving further success and growth over the next few years.”
Ramsay-Luck confirmed SBS is on track to hit the one million DVD sales mark by mid next year. Madman Entertainment, Managing Director, Paul Wiegard said: “The SBS story on DVD has been an industry highlight. Driven by cross platform
promotion and diverse content; the SBS brand will continue to broaden its audience in 2010."
New SBS DVD release titles for 2010 will include the popular food series Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam, second series’ of comedies Wilfred and Swift and Shift Couriers, as well as James May’s Toy Stories and Richard Hammond’s Engineering Connections 2. SBS’s renewed contract with Madman will be effective from January 2010, coinciding
with an extensive new 12-month marketing campaign for key 2010 titles across billboards, magazines, radio, television, eDMs and online.
In addition to this partnership for theatrical content, SBS Content Sales and Distribution has formed a new alliance with Victorian-based VEA for distribution of its non-theatrical educational DVDs.
VEA is the largest distributor of educational material in Australia. The new partnership with SBS was effective from October 2009.