Vancouver: Lions Gate Entertainment’s recent acquisition of Trimark Holdings is already paying dividends – at least in expanding the Vancouver company’s reach in the digital marketplace.

Trimark subsidiary CinemaNow, called the leading distributor of feature films over the Internet, and Microsoft Corp. have launched an Internet pay-per-view service. Using the Microsoft Windows Media platform, Web users can download Russell Crowe’s new film Heaven’s Burning.

‘The launch of the Heaven’s Burning pay-per-view demonstrates our commitment to exploring the Internet and broadband as a new means of distribution,’ says Jon Feltheimer, Lions Gate ceo. ‘CinemaNow is leading the way in creating what we ultimately expect to be a robust, profitable new window of distribution and is a prime example of how we intend to extract maximum value from our current and future productions as well as our library.’

The service debuted with the Nov. 9 theatrical premiere of Heaven’s Burning, the first feature film starring major talent to premier on the Internet on a ppv basis using secure streaming.

It will be followed by a Trimark Pictures dvd release of the film. In addition to access to the film, Web users will be able to view special trailers and behind-the-scenes footage, including interviews with Crowe, costar Youki Kudoh (Snow Falling on Cedars) and the film’s director, Craig Lahiff.

‘The Heaven’s Burning premiere demonstrates that video-on-demand via the Internet is the next major avenue of entertainment for consumers,’ says Curt Marvis, ceo of CinemaNow. ‘Internet-based, on-demand services like CinemaNow broaden consumer choices by bringing a wider variety of entertainment into the home than ever before, with the added values of convenience and interactivity.’

In other Lions Gate news, the company is moving into first-run syndication shows in the ‘high-growth, high-margin’ reality programming market.

Who Wants to Date a Hooters Girl? is a half-hour dating game show based on the racy restaurant chain owned by Provident Entertainment/Hooters Inc. and made in partnership with Fisher Entertainment. Distributor Mercury Entertainment will offer the daily strip to stations beginning in August.

‘This series is a signal that Lions Gate will be moving strongly from our existing base in cable series and long-form programming into developing series for syndication and network broadcast,’ says Kevin Beggs, executive vp, Lions Gate Television.

In the show, contestants will compete for the opportunity to date a Hooters girl chosen from one of the chain’s almost 300 restaurants in 44 u.s. states and nine countries. Comedian George Gray (Name That Video VH-1) will host and three Hooters girls will be chosen as permanent cohosts. In each episode, six men vie for one Hooters girl chosen from the chain’s employees.

The contestants will have to try to guess how the Hooters girl answers a series of questions to advance to the final round when the Hooters girl will decide who wins, based on the contestants’ answers to personal questions. *

-www.cinemanow.com

-www.lionsgatefilms.com