G4 ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE TELEVISION RIGHTS FROM NEW LINE TELEVISION FOR "THE KING OF KONG: A FISTFUL OF QUARTERS"
Documentary to Make World Network Television Premiere on June 1, 2008 on G4
LOS ANGELES, March 25, 2008 � G4 has secured exclusive cable rights from New Line Television for "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," Picturehouse's critically-acclaimed 2007 documentary that follows two men in their quest to achieve the world's highest score on arcade classic "Donkey Kong." The film will make its world network television premiere on June 1, 2008 on G4 The network will also be the first to offer the film via VOD.
Picturehouse, the joint venture between New Line Cinema and HBO, released the documentary in theatres in August 2007.
"'The King of Kong' delivers an amazing look at the human aspect of the video game phenomenon," said John Rieber, Senior Vice President, Programming and Production, G4. "This is the ultimate underdog tale for the G4 audience, gamers and non-gamers alike."
"Hollywood could not write a better story � 'The King of Kong' has conspiracy theories, heroes and villains, twists and turns all bound together in a gripping documentary," said Matt Monos, Vice President, Programming, G4.
"The King of Kong" tracks the intense drama as a middle-school science teacher and a hot sauce mogul compete for "Donkey Kong" glory. Billy Mitchell is an icon in world of competitive gaming and holder of numerous world records One of his greatest achievements was his "Donkey Kong" score of 874,300 points, a record many thought would never be broken.
20 years later, that unbeatable record came tumbling down when 35-year-old family man Steve Wiebe lost his job at Boeing, but found solace in "Donkey Kong." Steve stumbled upon Billy Mitchell's record online and set out to break it. He perfected his game and not only surpassed Billy's record, but ended up with a thought-to-be-impossible 1,000,000 points.
A wave of media coverage followed and Steve quickly became a celebrity in his hometown of Seattle. Meanwhile, Billy hatched a plan to reclaim his fallen "Donkey Kong" record.
In the months that followed, Steve and Billy engaged in a cross-country duel to see who could set the high score and become the real King of Kong. Along the way, both men learned valuable lessons about what it means to be a father, a husband, and a true champion, discovering that you don't always need to win to be a winner.
The official web site for The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters is: www.BillyvsSteve.com.
About Comcast Entertainment Group
Based in Los Angeles, recently formed Comcast Entertainment Group operates E! Entertainment Television, the 24-hour network with programming dedicated to the world of entertainment, and E! Online; The Style Network, the destination for women 18-49 with a passion for the best in relatable and inspiring lifestyle programming; and G4 offering the last word on gaming, technology, animation, interactivity, and "Internet culture" for the male 18-34 demo. E! is currently available to nearly 94 million cable and direct broadcast satellite subscribers in the United States. In 2006, E! launched the E! Everywhere initiative underscoring the company's dedication to making E! content available on all new media platforms any time and anywhere from online to broadband video to wireless to satellite radio to VOD. The Style Network currently counts 57 million cable and satellite subscribers and G4, the #1 podcasted cable network in America, is available in more than 64 million cable and satellite homes nationwide.
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