Bell Media Secures Landmark SEINFELD Deal for "Project Latte" Streaming Service as Comedy Slate Revealed

– "Project Latte" becomes the exclusive SVOD home to the one-and-only SEINFELD catalogue –
 – SEINFELD to lead "Project Latte's" incredible premium comedy offering, which also exclusively features iconic comedy legends CHEERS, FRASIER, CORNER GAS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, and more –
– "Project Latte" is the exclusive destination for past seasons of TV's current monster hit THE BIG BANG THEORY, along with THE GOLDBERGS, SPUN OUT, and Charlie Sheen's ANGER MANAGEMENT –
– Exclusive access to the vast Comedy Central catalogue of past-season and library titles including KEY & PEELE and STRANGERS WITH CANDY –
– "Project Latte" to feature fave BBC Britcoms ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS and FAWLTY TOWERS, and exclusively hosts the Monty Python collection –
– Pop culture hits 30 ROCK, COMMUNITY, and WEEDS land on "Latte" –

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TORONTO, Nov. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - It's been named the greatest television program of all time, yada, yada. And now for the first time, Canadians have access to every single episode on demand. Bell Media announced today a landmark deal with Sony Pictures Television for the Canadian exclusive subscription streaming rights for the seminal sitcom SEINFELD, making its upcoming subscription video on demand product, code-named "Project Latte," the only streaming service to offer the series to its subscribers. The announcement was made as Bell Media revealed its premium comedy lineup for "Project Latte," representing additional content deals from BBC Worldwide, CBS Studios International, Viacom (Comedy Central), Eagle Rock Entertainment, HBO, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros. International Television. It is the latest in a series of programming announcements for Canada's premium video streaming service, set to launch later this year, and follows last week's announcement that the entire Monty Python catalogue will live exclusively on "Project Latte."

From sitcoms to Britcoms and stand-up in between, "Project Latte" is home to more than 225 hit comedy titles representing more than 2,500 episodes. In total, premium comedy programming will comprise nearly 25% of the entire "Project Latte" catalogue which, it was confirmed today, will also feature the expansive Comedy Central vault of past-season and library hits.

**Media Note** Photography available online at BellMediaPR.ca.

"We are very proud to deliver the genre-defining series SEINFELD to Canadians in this landmark deal," said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, Bell Media. "It's only one of several headliners in our comedy portfolio, which will launch with a deep, diverse, and iconic lineup including CHEERS, 30 ROCK, CORNER GAS, and THE BIG BANG THEORY – simply some of the biggest comedies that have ever been on television."

Comedy on "Project Latte":

• SEINFELD
  Bell Media has secured the exclusive subscription streaming rights for every single episode of the TV sitcom that defined a generation, SEINFELD. Named by TV Guide as the greatest television program of all time, SEINFELD ran for nine seasons from 1989 until 1998, when nearly 80 million people watched its series' finale. All 180 episodes will be available exclusively in Canada on "Project Latte." SEINFELD is a Shapiro/West production in association with Castle Rock Entertainment. SEINFELD is distributed by Sony Pictures Television. 
• Classic Sitcoms
  Curated exclusively for "Project Latte" are some of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, including the entire 275-episode catalogue of CHEERS, nominated for 117 Emmy Awards^® over its 11-season run. Canada's premium comedy destination will also exclusively feature all 264 episodes of CHEERS spin-off FRASIER, one of the most-successful spin-off series and critically acclaimed comedies of all time. Additionally, "Project Latte" exclusively delivers every single episode of EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND and the most-watched Canadian comedy series of all time, CORNER GAS, along with the soon-to-be-released CORNER GAS: THE MOVIE.
• Current Comedies
  It's the biggest show currently on TV and it's only on "Project Latte." Canadians can go back to the beginning to rekindle their love affair with THE BIG BANG THEORY, while "Project Latte" will also exclusively feature past seasons of additional current comedies including THE GOLDBERGS, THE MILLERS, SPUN OUT, and ultimately the complete 100-episode catalogue of Charlie Sheen's ANGER MANAGEMENT.
• The Best of Comedy Central
  Comedy Central's vast and diverse comedy catalogue exclusively comes alive on "Project Latte," including both past-season and library content. Featured are past-season episodes of Comedy Central hits Key & Peele, Broad City, Tosh.0, Kroll Show, Inside Amy Schumer, Nathan For You, UGLY AMERICANS, and Drunk History. From the Comedy Central library comes every season of Reno 911, The Sarah Silverman Program, Crank Yankers, workaholics, and Strangers With Candy. Additionally available exclusively on demand is the collection of infamous COMEDY CENTRAL ROASTS - skewering the likes of Charlie Sheen, David Hasselhoff, Donald Trump, James Franco, Joan Rivers, William Shatner, Bob Saget, and more.
• Acclaimed HBO Comedy
  As previously announced, "Project Latte" is the Canadian home of the entire off-air library of HBO's iconic programming catalogue, including its award-winning collection of brilliant comedies. In addition to all eight seasons of beloved cult favourite CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM, also featured are HBO titles ENTOURAGE, SEX AND THE CITY, THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, ANGRY BOYS, BORED TO DEATH, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS, LITTLE BRITAIN USA, and MR. SHOW.
• The Monty Python Collection
  As announced last week, "Project Latte" is the exclusive home to the revolutionary Monty Python library. In addition to every single episode of MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS, the service also exclusively presents a collection of Monty Python documentaries, specials, and more, including the brand new Monty Python Live (mostly) - One Down Five To Go documentary from this summer's reunion at London's O₂ Arena.
• Britcoms
  "Project Latte" is also home to Basil Fawlty and every episode of the BBC's FAWLTY TOWERS, named by the British Film Institute as the "best British television series of all time." "Project Latte" also features all five seasons of the BBC's ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS, as well as seven additional AB FAB specials, including the three "20^th anniversary" specials (2011-2012).
• Pop Culture Hits
  Named by 60 MINUTES and Vanity Fair as one of the Top 10 sitcoms of all time it's the only television program to receive 22 Emmy Award nominations in a single year, and it's coming to "Project Latte" – fan-favourite and critical darling 30 ROCK. The service is also home to fellow pop culture hits COMMUNITY and WEEDS.
• The World's Best Stand-Up Comedians
  The service will also offer more than 150 hours of stand-up comedy, featuring titles from both Comedy Central and HBO, including some of the biggest names in comedy today and yesterday. Among the featured comedians are Zack Galifianakis, Louis C.K., Lewis Black, Patton Oswalt, John Oliver, George Carlin, Robin Williams, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, Shawn Majumder, Chelsea Handler, Kevin Hart, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Maher, Harland Williams, Dennis Miller, Sarah Silverman, Margaret Cho, and more.

In October, Bell Media announced a new video streaming service devoted exclusively to the best content on television, code-named "Project Latte". The service will feature thousands of hours of content representing TV's top premium brands. Additional details about "Project Latte" - including its final name - will be announced in the weeks to come.

ABOUT SEINFELD:
An Emmy and Golden Globe winner for Best Comedy Series, SEINFELD is one of the most popular, most award-winning, and longest-running comedy series of all time. Jerry Seinfeld stars as a stand-up comedian whose life in New York City is made even more chaotic by his quirky group of friends who join him in wrestling with life's most perplexing, yet often trivial questions. Often described as "a show about nothing," SEINFELD mines the humour in life's mundane situations like waiting in line, searching for a lost item, or the trials and tribulations of dating. Co-starring are Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Jerry's ex-girlfriend and current platonic pal, Elaine Benes; Jason Alexander as George Costanza, Jerry's neurotic hard-luck best friend; and Michael Richards as Jerry's eccentric neighbor, Kramer.

About "Project Latte":
Created for TV lovers and devoted exclusively to television, "Project Latte" is Canada's premium subscription on-demand video streaming service, providing the most robust lineup of superior television content in the country. From TV's most-acclaimed dramas and beloved comedies to documentaries, music, and factual programming, "Project Latte" will feature more than 10,000 hours of premium non-kids TV programming, with more than 350 unique TV titles. Designed to complement traditional television and available to all TV providers, to date "Project Latte" will be offered via set-top box to TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, and Bell Aliant FibreOP TV subscribers at launch. The service will also be available via mobile apps, the web, game consoles, and smart TVs. Set to launch later this year, "Project Latte" is from Bell Media, Canada's premier multi-media company.

About Bell Media:
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with its innovative GO video streaming services, including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca.

SOURCE: Bell Media

Eleni Tenuta, Senior Communications Manager, Digital Projects & Strategy, [email protected] or 416.384.3530