LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cinedigm (NASDAQ: CIDM) announced today the Company has entered into  a non-exclusive content licensing agreement with leading Chinese entertainment company CHINA LION to release over four dozen films on the newly announced Chinese content entertainment streaming channel, BAMBU.

“This deal delivers to BAMBU dozens of very strong and well-known films, and perfectly complements the CCTV/CITVC deal we recently announced, which was more TV episodic content,” said Bill Sondheim, president of Cinedigm Entertainment Group and Worldwide Distribution. “We are particularly pleased that the titles are all subtitled, allowing for the best representation of the original film versions and adds to the authentic high-profile content foundation for BAMBU.”

"When we started China Lion back in 2010, Cinedigm was our first strategic home entertainment partner and we're overjoyed to continue that partnership with their launch of BAMBU,” said China Lion President & CEO, Yanming Jiang.  “We're looking forward to adding future China Lion titles as they become available and provide BAMBU's audience with access to China's top films for years to come."

The titles will be part of the launch line-up for BAMBU, expected in mid-2019, and include:

China Lion Titles:

• THE ARK OF MR CHOW
• BATTLE OF MEMORIES
• BEAUTIFUL ACCIDENT
• BREAKUP BUDDIES
• BUDDIES IN INDIA
• BULLET VANISHES
• COCK AND BULL (2016)
• DETECTIVE CHINATOWN
• THE DEVOTION OF SUSPECT X
• DOUBLE TROUBLE
• THE EX-FILE 3: THE RETURN OF THE EXES
• EXPLOSION (2017)
• FALL IN LOVE LIKE A STAR
• FLEET OF TIME (aka BACK IN TIME)
• A FOOL
• FOR A FEW BULLETS
• FOREVER YOUNG (2015)
• THE GOLDEN ERA
• GO AWAY MR TUMOR
• GOODBYE MR LOSER
• I BELONGED TO YOU
• A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME WITH ANTHONY
• THE LAST WOMEN STANDING
• LET'S GET MARRIED
• LOBSTER COP
• LOST AND LOVE
• MR DONKEY
• MR SIX
• MY LUCKY STAR
• NAMIYA
• THE NEW YEAR'S EVE OF OLD LEE
• NEW YORK, NEW YORK (2016)
• ONLY YOU (2015)
• OOLONG COURTYARD: KUNG FU SCHOOL 
• OUR TIME WILL COME
• SO I MARRIED AN ANTI-FAN
• SO YOUNG
• SO YOUNG 2: NEVER GONE
• SWEET SIXTEEN (2016)
• TILL THE END OF THE WORLD
• THE VIRAL FACTOR
• THE WASTED TIME
• THE WITNESS (2015)
• WOMEN WHO FLIRT

While the network will appeal to Americans of all ages, BAMBU’s primary focus is on Gen Z ages 16-24, and Millennial viewers ages 25-35. These “digital natives” have been exposed to global culture from an early age, and hunger to stay at the forefront to discover the latest global trends—as evidenced by the unparalleled rise of Anime and K-Pop in North America in recent years. Together, those viewers represent over 27 percent of the U.S. population.

Cinedigm recently announced other significant content deals regarding content for BAMBU, including:

• A partnership with China International TV Corporation to bring over 500 hours of popular Chinese content to the US for BAMBU, including Nirvana in Fire, the most popular show in China in 2015, A Bite of China, the most popular documentary series in recent years, Journey to the West, the most watched show in Chinese television history, and The Advisors Alliance and Diamond Lover, a current hit series in China
• A partnership with Youku to distribute 30 original Chinese feature films in North America on all platforms including BAMBU, digital, physical DVD’s and BluRays, and across all OTT platforms, with a primary focus on major streaming platforms and niche outlets
• A content licensing agreement with Starrise Media Holdings Limited to release several Starrise productions on BAMBU. The titles have not yet been announced.

BAMBU aims to expand American appreciation of Chinese entertainment by providing viewers with a unique and innovative experience specializing in content previously unavailable to American audiences. Curated offerings will span far beyond typical martial arts and period epics, putting the spotlight on a diverse roster of content including contemporary action epics, serial dramas, romantic comedies, exciting sci-fi, pulse-pounding horror, and fantasy adventure sagas, as well as music and reality series, and educational programming ranging from instructional Chinese language courses to cultural cooking shows—all coming together to form the only complete Chinese entertainment platform in the United States. BAMBU will offer a variety of different programming options, constantly refreshing the channel’s content based on what is being enjoyed by its audience.

BAMBU further advances the Company’s strategy for the bilateral flow of content and OTT streaming networks between North America and China. Additionally, the Company believes BAMBU is an important vehicle to provide immediate and invaluable audience feedback to Chinese producers working to produce films and television for a global audience. This direct consumer data should help better inform the development process in China about the categories of entertainment content, stories and character that appeal most to an American and eventually global audience.

About CIDM:
Since inception, Cinedigm (CIDM) has been a leader at the forefront of the digital transformation of content distribution. Adjusting to the rapidly transforming business needs of today’s entertainment landscape, Cinedigm remains a change-centric player focused on providing content, channels and services to the world’s largest media, technology and retail companies. Cinedigm’s Content and Networks groups provide original and aggregated programming, channels and services that entertain consumers globally across hundreds of millions of devices. For more information, visit www.cinedigm.com.

Press Contact for CIDM:
Jill Calcaterra/310-466-5135
Cinedigm
jcalcaterra@cinedigm.com

Source: Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp.