SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RLJ Entertainment's (Nasdaq:RLJE) Acorn TV, the first streaming service focused on the best of British TV in North America, announces more exclusive U.S. premieres as well as tripling its available content. Available at www.Acorn.TV and via its popular Roku app, Acorn TV brings many of the best British mysteries, comedies, and dramas, as well as select Australian, U.S. and Canadian series, to the increasing number of consumers who prefer to stream content. Previously, Acorn TV streamed a full season of 18 rotating series; moving forward, Acorn TV will add at least six new and classic series each month, as well as offering a catalog of 65 series for catch-up viewing and discovery of new series, with no set end dates. Acorn TV also continues to offer a free 30-day trial.
Acorn TV is now featuring the exclusive U.S. premiere of Jack Irish, a new, ongoing detective series starring Guy Pearce (Iron Man 3, Memento). Called "the coolest show on television" (Daily Record, UK) and an "intelligent, hard-boiled thriller" (The Wall Street Journal), Jack Irish is the brooding antihero of Australian writer Peter Temple's award-winning novels. Reeling in the wake of his wife's murder, the former lawyer has reinvented himself as a part-time private investigator and debt collector. In two feature-length mysteries, Pearce delivers a masterful performance, imbuing Jack with world-weary gruffness and a dash of dark humor.
Coming this fall, Acorn TV will feature the exclusive U.S. premiere of Series 6 of Acorn's newest best-selling series and public TV sensation Doc Martin. In the U.K., Doc Martin is ITV's highest-rated drama series with more than 10 million viewers, while in the U.S., it's the #1 series on many public television stations and has millions of viewers across the country. The new episodes will debut soon after their UK broadcast. Additionally, Acorn TV will premiere Season 6 of hit period detective series Murdoch Mysteries in September. 'The Best British TV' service will also stream the newest episodes of Foyle's War, the day after they premiere on MASTERPIECE Mystery! on PBS, which begins on September 15. In early 2014, Acorn TV will feature new episodes from the final series of Agatha Christie's Poirot starring David Suchet.
Miguel Penella, Chief Executive Officer of RLJ Entertainment, Inc., said, "Given the limited broadcast options for U.S. viewers to watch high quality programs from outside the U.S., Acorn TV offers U.S. fans the opportunity to not only stream many of their favorite series but, more importantly, discover new and classic programs previously unavailable to U.S. audiences. We're very excited about our upcoming premieres of the hugely popular UK series Doc Martin and Agatha Christie's Poirot, as well as offering our customers much more of the best British mysteries, comedies, and dramas."
Acorn TV's recent U.S. premieres included Australian 1920s "lady detective" series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries; P.G. Wodehouse's Blandings, a witty 2013 series starring Timothy Spall (The King's Speech) and Jennifer Saunders (Absolutely Fabulous); medical drama Monroe starring James Nesbitt (The Hobbit); BBC's The Syndicate, now being remade by ABC as Lucky Seven this fall; as well as new episodes from several of its top-selling series, among many others. All of these programs are now readily available to stream.
Additionally, Acorn TV will feature all previous episodes of many popular British series, including George Gently, Midsomer Murders, The Forsyte Saga starring Damian Lewis (Homeland), iconic miniseries I, Claudius, as well as more than 50 episodes of Agatha Christie's Poirot. In the coming months, Acorn TV will add several of the most critically-acclaimed series in British television history, including Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren and Foyle's War starring Michael Kitchen.
Launched in July 2011, Acorn TV is accessible on the #1 streaming player, Roku, as well as computers, and through the browsers on iPhones and iPads. It is also available on any portable device with a browser that has the most recent version of Flash. Besides its Roku app, Acorn TV is currently working towards apps for Apple TV, Samsung, iOS, Sony, and Android platforms.
With the increased availability of content, Acorn TV will be $4.99/month or $49.99/year, though it's on sale at $2.99/month or $29.99/year until Sept. 2nd. Acorn TV subscribers also receive free shipping on all orders from Acorn's distinctive merchandise catalog and website, www.AcornOnline.com.
Called the "chief curators of the best Brit TV" by TIME magazine, RLJ Entertainment's Acorn brand holds exclusive North American distribution rights to the most critically acclaimed British programs, which are available for streaming on Acorn TV and from Acorn in lavishly packaged DVDs/Blu-rays. RLJ Entertainment also manages the literary estate of Agatha Christie, the best-selling novelist of all time, and owns the hugely popular period detective series Foyle's War.
Full access to Acorn TV is available to press upon request.
To watch Acorn TV via computers, iPhones, iPads, etc.: www.Acorn.TV
To add the Acorn TV channel on your Roku: https://owner.roku.com/add/acorntv
RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq:RLJE) is a premier independent licensee and distributor of entertainment content and programming in North America, the United Kingdom and Australia with over 5,300 exclusive titles. RLJE is a leader in numerous genres via its owned and distributed brands such as Acorn (British TV), Image (stand-up comedy, feature films), One Village (urban), Acacia (fitness), Slingshot (faith), Athena (educational), Criterion (art films) and Madacy (gift sets). These titles are distributed in multiple formats including DVD, Blu-Ray, digital download, digital streaming, broadcast television (including satellite and cable), theatrical and non-theatrical.
Via its relationship with Agatha Christie Limited, a company that RLJE owns 64% of, RLJE 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. And through its direct-to-consumer business, RLJE has direct contacts and billing relationships with millions of consumers.
RLJE leverages its management experience to acquire, distribute, and monetize existing and original content for its many distribution channels, including its nascent branded digital subscription channels, and engages distinct audiences with programming that appeals directly to their unique viewing interests. RLJE has proprietary e-commerce web sites for the Acorn and Acacia brands, and owns the recently launched Acorn TV digital subscription service.