BCE Inc. today announced that Bell Media will expand The Movie Network (TMN) into a national pay TV service and become the sole operator of HBO Canada, as Corus Entertainment winds down operations of its Movie Central and Encore Avenue pay TV services in Western and Northern Canada to focus on its core national media brands.
"Bell Media now has the national scale required to create, negotiate and deliver more premium TV programming to Canadian consumers, across more platforms and more quickly than ever before," said Mary Ann Turcke, President of Bell Media. "Our extensive new content agreement with HBO also announced today, for both traditional TV and next-generation platforms like CraveTV and with significant original co-production opportunities, is a great example of the benefits for Canadian viewers nationwide."
Corus is waiving its HBO content rights in Canada to allow Bell Media to become the sole operator of HBO Canada nationally across all platforms. TMN, formerly available only in Eastern Canada, will launch as a national pay TV platform in the first quarter of 2016, increasing its customer base to a total of approximately 2 million subscribers across the country. Bell and Corus are working together to support a seamless transition of Movie Central and Encore Avenue subscribers to TMN.
BCE will pay Corus a consideration of $211 million, $195 million net of tax benefits, to support the national expansion of TMN and HBO Canada, equivalent to a valuation multiple of approximately 5.6x fiscal 2015 EBITDA of Movie Central and Encore Avenue after operational synergies are applied.
Bell Media, Canada's leading broadcaster, and HBO, the world's most successful pay TV service, announced today an unprecedented agreement in which Bell Media will become the exclusive Canadian home of all HBO programming on all subscription platforms into the next decade.
Under the comprehensive, long-term agreement, the first of its kind for HBO in Canada, Bell Media will have the ability to deliver current-season, past-season, and library HBO programming exclusively on its linear, on-demand, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms in English and French. The agreement also marks the first time HBO has granted exclusive subscription video on demand (SVOD) rights for first-run programming throughout Canada. As a result, Bell Media will have the flexibility to provide current HBO content such as GAME OF THRONES, GIRLS, and VEEP over-the-top in Canada on its platforms. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
BCE announced today that Bell Media will expand The Movie Network into a national pay TV service and become the sole operator of HBO Canada. As a result, all HBO content will be delivered nationwide by one company for the first time ever in Canada. French-language HBO programming will continue to be seen on Bell Media's Super Écran pay service.
Bell Media and HBO also announced today a new original production development program, with the goal of co-producing premium, made-in-Canada content for the world stage.
Basically, this means, in a long-term, vicarious manner, after 32 years, First Choice has beaten the original Superchannel, and won the 1983 Pay TV channels war.
I never had Movie Central, but from what I heard(and don'y know if's true or not)that TMN was better then Movie Central.
As for price what's the cost of Movie Central? along with Encore Avenue?
Personally I would rather see both service combine as on e Network and offer All of TMN's channels along with Movie Central's and break them down like HBO & Showtime & Starz does in the US? Or have both East & West feeds for their channels like HBO is?
No satellite space savings if they just rebrand Movie Central/ Encore to TMN / TMN Encore West with a 2/3 hour timeshift of the existing East channels.
Not everyone wants to watch the 8 O'clock movie at 5 pm in Vancouver.
Bell Media will have the ability to deliver current-season, past-season, and library HBO programming exclusively on its linear, on-demand, and over-the-top (OTT) platforms in English and French. The agreement also marks the first time HBO has granted exclusive subscription video on demand (SVOD) rights for first-run programming throughout Canada. As a result, Bell Media will have the flexibility to provide current HBO content such as GAME OF THRONES, GIRLS, and VEEP over-the-top in Canada on its platforms.
Now that Bell has developed the streaming infrastructure to deliver CraveTV and is in the process of creating the billing and direct-to-consumer support, it should be a relatively straightforward process to launch an OTT HBO streaming service.
EDIT- found this quote: “It’s not something that I’m rushing out to do,” Bell Media president Mary Ann Turcke said in an interview. But with the TV industry under huge pressure as viewers move increasingly online, “the key is going to be maximum content flexibility because that’s what consumers are demanding.”
HBO US is different compared to Canada. HBO US has contracts with Hollywood Movie studios which likely warrents the $15/month charge. In Canada our HBO is just original programming. This can easily be included with CraveTV. I know the library content is. Perhaps for first run content, just add maybe a $5-7 surcharge on top of your CraveTV subscription. Likewise for Showtime content too.
EDIT- found this quote: “It’s not something that I’m rushing out to do,” Bell Media president Mary Ann Turcke said in an interview. But with the TV industry under huge pressure as viewers move increasingly online, “the key is going to be maximum content flexibility because that’s what consumers are demanding.”
So, the key is going to be maximum content flexibility (i.e. online streaming) because that's what consumers are demanding, but it's not something that he's rushing to do.
Got it.
I'm surprised traditional media companies are reticent to jump into the online streaming business with both feet, while Netflix goes about eating their lunch.
Practically everyone I know who has watched TV "Netflix-style" where you pick the Show and then the episode you want to watch absolutely prefers that format over the traditional "Show XYZ airs at 9pm on Thursday" format. It's like asking them to give back their Tesla and start driving a Lada. The only exception is for live sports programming where there is no significant downside to the broadcast TV medium.
I get the impression that TMN airs new movies quicker than MC. Sometimes I see a TMN press release and that movie won't show up on MC until months later, or maybe not at all. It seems Corus has lost interest in MC in the last couple of years.
I wonder if Bell will unbundle HBO from TMN now that the CRTC no longer requires that multiplexed channels be sold as a single package.
Shouldn't all of Canada get a TMN "East" and "West" feeds like US paytv HBO/Cinemax, Showtime/TMC, Starz & Encore do? Though perhaps in our VOD world, it's redundant.
In Europe, UK & Australia, a "+2" is popular, with a 2 hour delay.
Actually looking forward to this as a Shaw Direct customer as perhaps they will use a couple of the freed-up slots to add in the HD versions of TMN Encore 2, MFest and MFun!. Perhaps lol.
Also remember earlier this year, Bell signed a deal to bring Showtime to Canada. So I'd expect a Showtime Canada channel & VOD option to accompany HBO Canada offerongs.
Although TMN already airs Showtime's 'Shameless', I'd assume TMN get first window for airing with Showtime Canada (like HBO Canada only airing original programs) getting many airings throughout the week.
What I can see happening is:
LEaving HBO East/West as is
Creating an M (TMN1) East/West to accommodate start times for premieres/blockbusters
M Encore and M Encore 2 becoming more of an East/West feed
Leaving M excess, M Fun and M Fest as is
That would free up Movie Central 2 and 3 and Encore Ave satellite space for Bell and Shaw. Sure would be nice to have full Movie Network multiplex in HD on Shaw Direct.
Since TMN has the rights to Showtime content I see this:
TMN East & West
HBO East & West
TMN Encore East & West
Showtime East & West(rebranded M Fun & Movie Central 3)
TMN Excess(Adult block dropped due to CRTC rules on sexual content before 11PM, hence 8-10pm in west time zone)
TMN Fest
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