4/10/13 EPIX ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY PRESENTS EXPOSE OF COLLEGE SPORTS

Uncovering Shame in College Sports, “Schooled” Will Make Its World Premiere
this Fall on EPIX and All Platforms 

New York, NY, April 10, 2013 – Premium network EPIX announced it has secured exclusive rights to a new and timely original documentary examining the business of college football and basketball and the NCAA’s treatment of its athletes.  The expose is based on a controversial 2011 article by Pulitzer Prize winning civil rights scholar, Taylor Branch.  Schooled: The Shame of College Sports will make its world premiere this Fall on the EPIX network and on all platforms including EPIX On Demand, EpixHD.com and EPIX apps on hundreds of devices including Xbox, PS3, Roku, iPads, iPhones and more. 

Schooled, based on Branch’s article “The Shame of College Sports”,is a hard-hitting examination weaving interviews, archival and behind-the-scenes footage to tell a story of how college sports became a billion dollar industry built on athletes who are deprived of numerous rights.  Those interviewed include current and former college athletes, coaches, academic advisors, NCAA compliance officers and university administrators, including Emmy-winning Sportscaster Bob Costas, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas, Joe Nocera of The New York Times, Dave Zirin of The Nation, Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford, George Dohrmann, BJ Schecter and Michael Rosenberg.

When first published in The Atlantic in October 2011, the article set off a firestorm of controversy and admiration. Sports Illustrated’s Frank Deford said Branch’s story “may well be the most important article ever written about college sports.”  Branch, who also appears in the documentary, argues that decades of greed and self-interest have finally caught up with the NCAA and that the organization is poised to collapse under the weight of its own hypocrisy.

“Branch’s expose gives us an inside look at the injustice done to these dedicated young athletes and it sheds a new light on all college sports programs,” said Mark Greenberg, EPIX President and CEO.  “EPIX is committed to bringing controversial stories like this to our viewers.”

The documentary is directed by Ross Finkel, Jon Paley and Trevor Martin (directors of Ballplayer: Pelotero); executive produced by Bobby Valentine; produced by Andrew J. Muscato, Taylor Branch, and former college and NFL player Domonique Foxworth.

Says producer Andrew Muscato, “Over the past year and a half, we’ve assembled an unprecedented, comprehensive and compelling look at the culture of big-time college sports in America.  Bobby and I are excited that EPIX shares our fascination with this subject, and we’re especially thrilled that they’ll be bringing our film to their audience in time for the next football season.”

About EPIX

EPIX® is the newest premium entertainment network delivering the latest movie releases, classic library titles, plus original films, comedy, music and sports events on TV, on demand, online and on devices. Launched October 2009 as the first multiplatform premium network with online accessibility for subscribers through EpixHD.com, EPIX pioneered the development and proliferation of TV Everywhere for American consumers. EPIX was the first premium network to launch on Xbox 360®consoles, first on Android™ tablets and phones, first on Roku® players and first to launch in the U.S. on PlayStation®3 (PS3™) system. EPIX is available to authenticated subscribers on hundreds of devices including Apple® iPads®, iPhones®, Kindle Fire tablets, Samsung® Smart TVs and Blu-ray™ players and more. Today EPIX remains the only premium service providing its entire monthly line-up from new Hollywood hits to original programs on all platforms and provides more movies than any other premium network.

EPIX is a joint venture between Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA and VIA.B), its Paramount Pictures unit, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) and Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), available to over 30 million homes nationwide through distribution partners including Charter Communications, Cox Communications, DISH Network, Mediacom Communications, NCTC, Suddenlink Communications and Verizon FiOS.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EpixHD.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHD and on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/EpixHD.

Contact:  

EPIX 

Jamie Colunga – jcolunga@epixhd.com
(212) 846-1843

 

FRANK PR
Clare Anne Darragh – ClareAnne@FrankPublicity.com
Lina Plath – Lina@FrankPublicity.com
(646) 861-0843