ROMA DOWNEY AND MARK BURNETT’s #1 NEW CABLE SERIES THE BIBLE IS ALSO A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER, DOMINATING AMAZON AND IS #1 ON ITUNES AND #1 ON TWITTER.
THE BIBLE series has already been licensed in 13 countries
YouVersion BIBLE app passes 87 million downloads
SOURCE: Grace Hill Media
Los Angeles, CA (March 25, 2013) – Executive producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett’s THE BIBLE continues to be a cultural phenomenon and draw audiences from across all platforms including books, DVDs, and downloads, inspiring viewers as it heads into the Easter weekend and the series finale. THE BIBLE, which has been viewed by close to 80 million people, took over the number one spot on ITUNES for top TV show downloads. The series is currently ranked number two on the list of 100 on Amazon’s Best Sellers list in Movies and TV.
Burnett and Downey’s novelization of THE BIBLE television miniseries, THE BIBLE: A STORY OF GOD AND ALL OF US debuted on February 26th and has climbed to number ten on Publisher’s Weekly Hardcover Fiction List and is number twenty on The New York Times Hardcover Fiction list, published for March 31st.
Every Sunday during the series, the YouVersion Bible App has been in the top 25 out of over 800,000 apps on iTunes. “Since the premiere of the series, we’ve seen the Bible App installed over a million times each week as people become more interested in the Bible.” says Pastor Bobby Gruenewald, the app’s creator, at LifeChurch.tv. “We’re thrilled to partner with The Bible series and provide free access to God’s Word for everyone who is watching, whether they are familiar with the Bible or experiencing it for the very first time.”
“Roma and I continue to be grateful for the overwhelming global enthusiasm for THE BIBLE series,” says executive producer Mark Burnett. . “Every day we receive additional requests to license the series to another country.” “The audience reaction says so much about what people are looking for these days,” adds Downey “we are just thrilled that we were able to bring these stories to life.”
“The extraordinary success of The Bible series is proof that it’s resonating in exactly the way Mark & Roma knew it would. International broadcasters around the world that want this kind of market dominance are quickly acquiring the series”, said C. Scot Cru, SVP of International at Burnett’s One Three Media who are distributing THE BIBLE series.
The series, which premiered March 3rd on The History Channel has continued to outperform all other television shows on Sunday nights. THE BIBLE reached close to 80 million viewers with its first three installments alone (included 18 telecasts on HISTORY and Lifetime.)
THE BIBLE, premiering every Sunday on HISTORY over the last three Sundays, culminating on Easter, was created and executive produced by renowned producer Mark Burnett (The Voice, Survivor, The Apprentice, Shark Tank) and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel). The series, a landmark television event, combines one of the greatest collections of stories ever assembled with live action and state-of-the-art CGI. The series is narrated by Emmy award-winning actor/vocalist Keith David (Mr. & Mrs. Smith; Platoon; Crash) and features a musical score by the world-renowned Grammy and Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. In April, The Bible series will arrive on Blu-ray and DVD with hours of exclusive special features and extras making it a must-own for every home. A book series by Mark and Roma is currently available in stores.
Leading the outstanding international cast is Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress and series’ co-executive producer Roma Downey, who plays Mother Mary. Joining her are Portuguese TV star Diogo Morgado as Jesus, as well as an array of acclaimed UK-based actors including Sean Teale (Skins), David Rintoul (The Iron Lady, My Week with Marilyn), Amber Rose Revah (The Borgias), Peter Guinness (an accomplished long time film/theatre actor), Greg Hicks (one of the UK’s best-known Shakespearean actors), and Simon Kunz (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Parent Trap, Matchpoint).
From Genesis to Revelation, HISTORY will illuminate the Bible, re-telling the stories as they unfold and revealing new insights into these iconic characters in context of the Bible. The series will feature some of the most famous stories ever written from Noah’s Ark and the Exodus to Daniel in the Lion’s Den to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.
THE BIBLE series is produced for HISTORY by Lightworkers Media and Hearst Entertainment & Syndication. Executive Producers are Mark Burnett, Roma Downey and Richard Bedser. Executive Producers for HISTORY are Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs. THE BIBLE is distributed by One Three Media, Inc.
About ROMA DOWNEY
A celebrated, Emmy® nominated actress Roma Downey is best known for her nine seasons as the tender-hearted angel on the hit CBS show Touched by an Angel. Ms. Downey starred in over 200 episodes and her work as the compassionate angel inspired millions of people around the world and earned Ms. Downey multiple best actress nominations for Emmy® and Golden Globe® awards. Born in Ireland and classically trained in London, Ms. Downey has performed on stage with the famed Abbey Theatre Company and has appeared both on and off Broadway. She played the leading role of Jackie Kennedy Onassis in the Emmy® award winning six hour miniseries for NBC called “A Woman Named Jackie.” Ms. Downey not only starred in, but executive produced seven television movies for The CBS network, among them “Borrowed Hearts” with Eric McCormack and “Second Honeymoon” with Tim Matheson. She is the executive producer of the children’s DVD and book series “Little Angels” and its companion “Little Angels Storybook Bible”. Ms. Downey and Mr. Burnett have co-authored a companion book to the series ‘A Story of God and all of Us.’ The book is available now from Faith Words. For many years Ms. Downey has been a spokesperson for “Operation Smile” a volunteer organization that brings free surgeries to children around the globe with facial deformities. She has travelled to third world and developing countries making fund raising films on their behalf.
About MARK BURNETT
“Four time Emmy Award winner Mark Burnett has produced over 1,200 hours of television programming which regularly airs in over 70 countries worldwide. His current network series include “Survivor” (CBS), “The Voice” (NBC), “The Celebrity Apprentice” (NBC), “Shark Tank” (ABC). In the last 12 months, Burnett’s series have won their time slots on five nights of television in the same week.
Burnett is one of very few producers to have had a renewed series on each of the four major networks. He also has a strong presence in award show franchises, having produced the “MTV Movie Awards” from 2007 to 2011, the annual “People’s Choice Awards” since 2010, the “Video Game Awards” (Spike) and the 2011 “Primetime Emmy Awards.”
Together Burnett and his wife Roma Downey produced the 10 hour current hit TV series entitled “The Bible” (History). “The Bible” had record-breaking ratings, with its premiere drawing over 13 million viewers, making it the most watched cable entertainment series of 2013.
Burnett has been named one of the world’s most influential people by TIME Magazine and is also listed as TV Guide’s Most Valuable Player. He has won BRANDWEEK’S Marketer of the Year Award, The Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, the PGA Norman Lear Award and the prestigious ROSE D’OR FRAPA Format Award. Burnett was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame and was honored in 2010 with a star on The Hollywood Walk of Fame. He served two elected terms on the Board of Directors for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles.”
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