Voom HD Gets Miramax Films for Small Screen

[Gregg Lengling]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Miramax Films has cut a deal to license more than 190 feature films from the Miramax and Dimension libraries for high-definition telecasts on Cablevision's new Voom HD satellite TV service.
The three-year deal, which kicks in immediately, encompasses 193 titles, including 68 martial arts-themed pics ranging from Jet Li's "The Master" to Bruce Lee's "The Way of the Dragon." The pact also includes more than two dozen foreign-language films, including the Oscar-nominated titles "Amelie," "Strawberry and Chocolate" and "Farewell My Concubine." Other titles in the package include Woody Allen's "Celebrity" and Kevin Smith's Gen-X favorite "Clerks."

"High-definition television has proven to be the most desirable medium through which viewers can enjoy a filmmaker's vision as it was meant to be seen," said Miramax chief operating officer Rick Sand, who unveiled the deal with Nora Ryan, co-general manager Voom HD Originals.

"We are in the early stages of finding out what format is most appealing to audiences who will be watching television in the future," Sands said.

The titles will be featured on Voom's HD Cinema 10 platform, a 10-channel multiplex devoted to commercial-free airings of unedited theatrical releases.

Cablevision's Voom HD premium satellite TV service launched in October 2003 with a lineup of more than 35 high-def channels, including high-def renditions of HBO, Showtime and ESPN.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter