NEWS RELEASE
CENTURY CITY, Calif. (September 20, 2006) – As the leading supplier of high quality entertainment product for the faith-based marketplace, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (TCFHE) unveils FOXFAITH, a new branded distribution label to house its growing portfolio of faith-based programming. Established for Christian retailers and churches/ministry organizations as a collection of inspirational films they can recommend and promote among their congregations, this new consumer and retail brand will be comprised of filmed entertainment with a clear Christian message or based on material by a Christian author. FOXFAITH will be a home entertainment distribution label as well as the marketing engine for limited theatrical releases of films specifically made for and targeted to the Christian audience as well as those seeking quality, inspirational and spiritual entertainment.
"We’re in the business of entertainment, not proselytizing," commented Jeff Yordy, Vice President, Marketing, FOXFAITH. "We simply recognized that there was a hugely underserved audience and seized the opportunity to provide them with high-quality entertainment that reflects their values.
And, as a result, we’ve seen explosive growth in this marketplace over the past few years, which only proves to us that we’re successfully tapping into our core constituency."
Continued Yordy, "We work very closely with the Christian retail community as well as a variety of Church and thought leaders across the country and they have fully embraced what we’re doing with FOX FAITH and the banner has truly come to represent relevant and compelling programming that our consumers and retailers know they can trust."
RETAIL ACTIVITIES: The studio recognized the need for a Christian label in 2002 as it realized there was an underserved market of millions of Christian households that were hungry for quality entertainment that reflected their values. Since that time, the Studio has been releasing appropriate products to the Christian Bookseller’s Association (CBA) retail stores and in 2005 launched the website www.foxfaith.com as a "go to" resource for retailers, consumers, church leaders and other interested parties. To date, the studio has sold more than 30 million Faith-based DVDs, and in CBA has dedicated FOXFAITH sections in more than 1100 stores and the entire FOXFAITH business has become a $200 million retail business.
In fact, the studio now dominates the sales charts at Christian retail outlets. Among the many titles released to CBA stores under the FOXFAITH banner are: Be Still, Mother Teresa, The End Of The Spear, The Passion Of The Christ, The Visitation, Love Comes Softly, Loves Enduring Promise, Woman Thou Art Loosed, Billy Graham Presents and the award-winning documentary, Beyond The Gates Of Splendor, plus many others. However, FOXFAITH releases are not the only titles from Fox sold in these retail outlets, many of the studio’s wholesome family classics are also available including Sound of Music, Because of Winn-Dixie, Dr. Dolittle with Rex Harrison, Cheaper By The Dozen, Garfield The Movie, My Friend Flicka and many others.
FORMAL, NATIONAL BRAND LAUNCH:
GRASSROOTS OUTREACH: As part of the FOXFAITH initiative, the studio has built a network of churches/ministries that have "opted in" to receive regular information about entertainment releases that will appeal to their ministries and congregations. The program has been so successful that now more than 90,000 congregations are receiving information on upcoming FOXFAITH releases every quarter. In a direct marketing effort to further build FOXFAITH as a consumer brand, the studio has created a database of more than 14 million Christian households that regularly receive information.
LIMITED THEATRICAL RELEASES: Beginning October 6 with Love’s Abiding Joy, a fourth filmed installment in the popular Love Comes Softly series based on the Janette Oke books, selected FOXFAITH films will be released to theaters, in concert with releasing company The Bigger Picture, for limited theatrical runs. Written and Directed by Michael Landon Jr., Love’s Abiding Joy continues the inspirational and heart-warming story of a more innocent time following Missie and Willie LaHaye and they work to overcome the challenges that face them settling in the wild west.
Plans call for a minimum of six FOXFAITH films to be theatrical releases per year, each of which will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign valued at nearly $5 million and targeting the core audience through television, newspaper, direct mail and other grassroots marketing, publicity and promotional activities. Covering approximately 40% of the United States, these FOXFAITH theatrical releases will be available in selected markets through Carmike Theaters, AMC and other regional theater chains.
FOXFAITH is a distribution label of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. FOXFAITH was created to provide compelling entertainment to the Christian audience as well as those seeking quality, inspirational and spiritual entertainment. Additional information about specific titles and programs can be found at www.foxfaith.com and www.foxfaithmovies.com.
A recognized global industry leader, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution company for all Fox film and television programming on VHS and DVD as well as video acquisitions and original productions. Each year the Company introduces hundreds of new and newly enhanced products, which it services to retail outlets – from mass merchants and warehouse clubs to specialty stores and e-commerce – throughout the world. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC is a subsidiary of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, a News Corporation company.
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