19 Entertainment and CKX Announce Co-Production Deal with ITV

19 Entertainment and CKX Announce Co-Production Deal with ITV

American Idol Creator to Work with ITV on Six Projects for Broadcast in the U.K. and Worldwide

NEW YORK, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 19 Entertainment Limited, a division of CKX, Inc. (NASDAQ:CKXE) announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive co-production and co-development deal with ITV Studios, the production arm of United Kingdom television company ITV. The agreement calls for 19 Entertainment and ITV to work together to create six new, unscripted television formats for broadcast in the U.K. and throughout the world, with 19 and ITV sharing equally in the rights to the co-developed programs.

The deal reunites Simon Fuller, the Chief Executive Officer of 19 Entertainment and creator of American Idol, with Lee Bartlett, the managing director of ITV Global Content, who worked together when Bartlett worked for Fox in the U.S.

Commenting on the agreement with ITV, Mr. Fuller said: "The world's biggest TV show -- American Idol -- started life on ITV almost ten years ago as Pop Idol and I'm delighted to be partnering with ITV again."

Robert F.X. Sillerman, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CKX added: "ITV's desire to partner with 19 Entertainment in the development of new programming is a testament to Simon Fuller and his team's continued success and unparalleled creativity. We expect that this agreement will provide Simon with another platform for the development of new and exciting content which can be exploited across multiple platforms and will appeal to content consumers worldwide."

19 Entertainment, a division of CKX, is one of the most successful entertainment organizations in the world having created and produced hit television properties including American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, and with its relationships and partnerships with some of the biggest names in sports, music and fashion, including David Beckham, Victoria Beckham, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Roland Mouret and the recently added tennis superstar, Andy Murray.

About CKX, Inc.

CKX, Inc. is engaged in the ownership, development and commercial utilization of entertainment content. To date, the Company has focused on acquiring globally recognized entertainment content and related assets, including the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley, the operations of Graceland, the rights to the name, image and likeness of Muhammad Ali and proprietary rights to the IDOLS television brand, including the American Idol series in the United States and local adaptations of the IDOLS television show format which, collectively, air in more than 100 countries. For more information about CKX, Inc., visit its corporate website at www.ckx.com.

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First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: Casey_Cipriani@dkcnews.com

Source: CKX, Inc.

CONTACT: Ed Tagliaferri, +1-212-981-5182, for CKX, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.ckx.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment