Bell Media has signed a multi-year deal with U.S.-based premium network Starz to bring the company’s television and film content to Canada, the telecom has announced.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. However, as part of the deal, Bell will rebrand The Movie Network Encore (TMN Encore) channel in 2019 to carry Starz branding.
Moreover, thanks to the deal, Bell Media now owns the Canadian distribution rights to content from all top three U.S. premium cable networks — HBO, Showtime and Starz. For Starz, the deal marks its first expansion outside of the U.S.
Notable Starz television shows include Power and the Girlfriend Experience.
“We’re delighted to bring Starz to Canada as part of our international channel rollout,” said Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht in a January 23rd press release. “Bell Media is one of North America’s elite content companies, and they bring great brand recognition, a massive consumer base, and unparalleled distribution skills to our alliance. This agreement creates the perfect foundation for the growth of Starz in the territory.”
Bell promised it will start carrying Starz content across a variety of its content distribution platforms, including CraveTV, the company’s over-the-top streaming platform. Just this past Sunday, Crave started streaming Starz’s latest series, Counterpart.
On Monday, CraveTV announced it will begin streaming the first three season of Game of Thrones starting on February 16th, and other currently ongoing HBO shows like Young Pope and Silicon Valley throughout 2018.
Source: Bell Media Via: Canadian Press
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