Silver Spring, MD; March 16, 2009 – Building on the success of the Acorn and Acacia brands, Acorn Media Group, a leading independent global media company, announces the launch of its third branded line, Athena, a new home video brand for consumers interested in lifelong learning through documentary programming. Athena will provide a rich and enjoyable learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming on DVD. Athena joins Acorn Media Group’s other rapidly growing branded home video lines: Acorn, specializing in British television programming, and Acacia, a line of original health & wellness programming.

Athena launches on June 2, 2009 with its first four releases: The Adventure of English, Playing Shakespeare, Every Picture Tells a Story, and The People’s Republic of Capitalism.

"Athena provides a wonderful opportunity to reach the growing number of consumers interested in lifelong learning. Athena will be the only documentary DVD brand in the market that provides a consistent, educational, in-depth and entertaining experience with every release," noted Miguel Penella, CEO, Acorn Media Group.

Acorn Media Group plans to release 10 titles under the Athena name in 2009. Each release will include a 16-20 page viewer’s guide with a brief summary of the major ideas in each episode, questions to prompt discussions on the topic, a short bibliography of books and websites, and title-specific content. Additionally, every release will have DVD extras, SDH subtitles, and special web content at www.athenalearning.com.

Athena DVDs will be available at select retailers and featured in the Acorn consumer catalog, reaching 17 million households annually through a print and online catalog (www.AcornOnline.com).

On June 2, 2009, Athena will distribute its first releases: Playing Shakespeare, the definitive master class on Shakespeare with top British actors including Judi Dench and Patrick Stewart; The Adventure of English, the fascinating story behind the 1,500-year history of the English language; Every Picture Tells a Story, the myths and origins behind the world’s greatest works of art including the Mona Lisa; and The People’s Republic of Capitalism (Blu-ray and Standard DVD), in which host Ted Koppel takes an in-depth look at the economic ties that bind the U.S. to China.

Based in suburban Washington, D.C. and founded by Chairman Peter Edwards, Acorn Media Group has grown from a one-man basement documentary production and distribution operation in the mid-1980s into a boutique DVD and consumer products marketing company operating on three continents. The Acorn Media Group consists of four divisions, Acorn Media U.S., a leading distributor of British television programming on DVD to consumers in North America as well as a line of original health & wellness programming under the Acacia DVD label; Acorn Direct, the direct-to-consumer division offering DVDs and other high quality products in North America through its Acorn and Acacia catalogs and on-line marketing vehicles; and Acorn Media U.K. and Acorn Media Australia, which distribute a comparable line of DVD titles to consumers in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

Corporate Website: www.acornmedia.com
Acorn Catalog: www.acornonline.com
Acacia Catalog: www.acaciacatalog.com

Press Contact
Chad Campbell, Acorn Media, 301.608.2115 ext. 138, ccampbell@acornmedia.com