Silver Spring, MD; July 16, 2015 – Today, Acorn TV became one of the first streaming services and the first niche streamer to receive a Primetime Emmy® Award nomination. Acorn TV, the premier British TV streaming service in North America from RLJ Entertainment (NASDAQ: RLJE), received a 2015 Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Television Movie for Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case, the final movie in the 25-year history of the beloved series. Despite its storied history, Agatha Christie’s Poirot has never been submitted for Emmy consideration before, so this was the first and final time Television Academy members could vote for one of Britain’s most universally acclaimed series of all time.
Miguel Penella, Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Entertainment, Inc., said, “We are thrilled that the Television Academy recognized Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case for Outstanding Television Movie. Receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination is immensely gratifying and great validation for Acorn TV, our partnership with Agatha Christie Limited, and the kinds of high quality, lavish productions we’re producing and premiering for our rapidly growing fan base of British mystery and drama.”
For the last 25 years, David Suchet has been synonymous with the brilliant Belgian detective, andwith Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case, he completed the unsurpassed feat of portraying Agatha Christie’s iconic sleuth in all 70 Poirot stories. Curtain takes place in post-war 1940s England, where an ailing Poirot reunites with Captain Hastings (Hugh Fraser) at Styles, the place where they solved their first murder thirty years prior. Knowing that one of the guests is a killer, Poirot tries to prevent another murder, understanding that his own death is nearing.
RLJ Entertainment’s UK production arm, Acorn Productions, co-produced Curtain, and the final movie had its U.S. Premiere in August 2014 on Acorn TV. RLJ Entertainment owns 64% of Agatha Christie Ltd, which manages Christie’s extensive literary works.
Since 2011, Acorn TV has been a trailblazer in the digital movement for niche streaming services with its rapidly growing subscriber base of British mystery and drama lovers, taking fans of high-quality productions to an “alternate universe of terrific British shows” (Los Angeles Times). Available at www.Acorn.TV and on a variety of devices, Acorn TV is the first British TV focused streaming service in North America and features U.S. Premieres of first-rate international content every week.
In 2015, Acorn TV has featured the U.S. Premieres of the final season of Foyle’s War starring Michael Kitchen; the 1680s set British period drama New Worlds starring Jamie Dornan (Fifty Shades of Grey); new BBC period drama Jamaica Inn starring Jessica Brown Findlay (Downton Abbey); BBC thriller The Driver starring David Morrissey (The Walking Dead); the newest season of Acorn’s top-selling series Midsomer Murders, Series 17; New Zealand detective dramas The Brokenwood Mysteries and Harry; Brenda Blethyn in the hit detective drama Vera, Series 5 (July 6-27); crime drama Chasing Shadows (July 27), and Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones in their BAFTA-winning comedy Detectorists (Aug. 17). Beginning September 3, Acorn TV will premiere Agatha Christie’s Partners in Crime, the hotly anticipated new BBC mystery series starring David Walliams and Jessica Raine (Call the Midwife) as Christie’s delightful detective duo.
Media and Emmy voters can watch Agatha Christie’s Poirot: Curtain, Poirot’s Last Case, at: http://acorn.tv/awards
About RLJ Entertainment
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) is a premier independent owner, developer, licensee, and distributor of entertainment content and programming in primarily North America, the United Kingdom, and Australia. RLJE is a leader in numerous genres including feature films and urban with distinct content via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Acacia (fitness), Athena (documentaries), and Madacy (gift sets). These titles are distributed in multiple formats including broadcast television (including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical, DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, and digital streaming.
Through Acorn Productions, its UK production arm, RLJE owns all rights to the hit UK mystery series Foyle’s War and is developing new programs. RLJE owns 64% of Agatha Christie Limited, which manages the intellectual property and publishing rights to some of the greatest works of mystery fiction, including stories of the iconic sleuths Miss Marple and Poirot.
RLJE leverages its management experience to acquire, distribute and monetize existing and original content for its many distribution channels, including its branded digital subscription channels, Acorn TV, AcaciaTV, and UMC – Urban Movie Channel, and engages distinct audiences with programming that appeals directly to their unique viewing interests. Through its proprietary e-commerce web sites and print catalogs for the Acorn and Acacia brands, RLJE has direct contacts and billing relationships with millions of consumers. For more information, please visit www.RLJEntertainment.com
