epix Looks to October Launch

NEW YORK: The new premium movie service backed by Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, epix, is eyeing a fourth-quarter launch as a cable channel, with a broadband premiere in May.

The new service will be operated by Studio 3 Networks, the joint venture formed by the three studios. It aims to compete with Showtime, HBO and Starz with new and classic feature films and original television series from its owners. "With epix, we are creating an entirely new category of entertainment service for consumers that is unlike anything that currently exists," said Mark Greenberg, the president of Studio 3 Networks. "epix is the first brand to hold exclusive exhibition rights to movie content that can be delivered anywhere, anytime. The name epix embodies the depth and breadth of entertainment content this brand will deliver and also captures the uniquely personal way that consumers will be interacting with great Hollywood movie content and original programming."

Films available at launch will include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Cloverfield, Defiance, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Iron Man, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Tyler Perry’s Madea Goes to Jail. epix will also have the rights to all 17 re-mastered James Bond movies (rival Starz also scored the Bond franchise as part of its multi-title output deal with MGM last year) as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 

In addition to features and TV series, the service promises access to directors’ script notes, outtakes, auditions and other extras. "epix is a powerful entertainment service for a new generation of Americans," Greenberg continued. "Fueled by a team that has created programming for specific target groups, including Nickelodeon and MTV, we are bringing a unique understanding of the way Americans want to watch and interact with entertainment today. We are building a brand that will provide viewers and distributors with film and original entertainment so innovative and compelling that it will change the way America expects to be entertained."