Epix has reportedly decided to pass on drama pilot Tough Trade. The premium channel originally greenlit the project in early 2010 and a pilot episode was shot nine months ago. However, Epix CEO Mark Greenberg told Deadline: "It was a combination of running out of time and dealing with distractions, and at some point we had to make a decision whether it works or it doesn't. At the end of the day, it just didn't work." The show, which starred Saw actor Cary Elwes, (more)...
- 10/7/2010
- by By Morgan Jeffery
- Digital Spy
Is Epix ready to commit to a scripted series order? That is what creative types have been pondering in the past few days, following the demise of the fledging premium cable channel/broadband service's first scripted pilot Tough Trade. It was groomed to be Epix's first original scripted series. But 20 months after originally greenlighting it, Epix, a partnership of Lionsgate, Viacom and MGM, has pulled the plug on the project. The show, created by Chris Offutt and produced by Lionsgate TV, revolved around three generations of a Nashvile music dynasty and starred Sam Shepard, Trace Adkins, Cary Elwes, Lucas Black and Joey Lauren Adams. The project, which was once set up at TNT, also boasted big names behind the camera: Weeds creator Jenji Kohan was executive producer/showrunner, Gavin Hood directed the pilot, T-Bone Burnett served as executive musical producer, and Sean and Bryan Furst also executive produced. Originally, Epix...
- 10/6/2010
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
New York -- Dish Network has launched The 3, a new movie channel from Epix dedicated to popular films from the 1970s to the present.
Epix, a joint venture of Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM, said the channel is "designed for passionate movie fans" and offers "time-tested favorites" from its partner studios' treasure trove, such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Rocky," "Top Gun" and "The Terminator," teen coming-of-age comedies from the '80s and more.
Dish is the first distributor to carry The 3.
"Providing our customers with an unmatched in-home movie experience at the best value is a top priority, and we are excited to expand our movie offerings to include titles from the broad Epix film library," said Dave Shull, senior vp of programming for Dish.
"The launch of The 3 from Epix on Dish Network underscores our efforts to bring more entertainment choices to consumers, wherever they are viewing," said...
Epix, a joint venture of Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM, said the channel is "designed for passionate movie fans" and offers "time-tested favorites" from its partner studios' treasure trove, such as "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Rocky," "Top Gun" and "The Terminator," teen coming-of-age comedies from the '80s and more.
Dish is the first distributor to carry The 3.
"Providing our customers with an unmatched in-home movie experience at the best value is a top priority, and we are excited to expand our movie offerings to include titles from the broad Epix film library," said Dave Shull, senior vp of programming for Dish.
"The launch of The 3 from Epix on Dish Network underscores our efforts to bring more entertainment choices to consumers, wherever they are viewing," said...
- 8/16/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Perhaps it's fitting that while the stock market was tanking last week, shares of Netflix were touching all-time highs. What else to expect from a company that is remaking Hollywood's home-distribution model?
That seems to be the popular consensus, anyway, since it was revealed last week that Netflix will pay almost $1 billion to Epix over five years for online-streaming rights for movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.
Before that, online streaming might have been considered more a necessary annoyance than an actual business with revenue and profit. But with the stroke of a pen, Netflix has upped the ante so significantly that movie studios have no doubt begun to ratchet up expectations for licensing fees they can charge going forward.
"It certainly proves that on-demand streaming rights have value," said Jim Packer, co-president of MGM Worldwide Television.
"We're the only ones that have put real money in play," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said.
That seems to be the popular consensus, anyway, since it was revealed last week that Netflix will pay almost $1 billion to Epix over five years for online-streaming rights for movies from Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM.
Before that, online streaming might have been considered more a necessary annoyance than an actual business with revenue and profit. But with the stroke of a pen, Netflix has upped the ante so significantly that movie studios have no doubt begun to ratchet up expectations for licensing fees they can charge going forward.
"It certainly proves that on-demand streaming rights have value," said Jim Packer, co-president of MGM Worldwide Television.
"We're the only ones that have put real money in play," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said.
- 8/15/2010
- by By Paul Bond
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just when you thought Blockbuster, which added video games to its by-mail service this morning, gained a leg up against competitors, Netflix announced today a major digital partnership with premium TV channel Epix. The deal, last reported at $1 billion over five years, enables Netflix to show Epix's premium movies on its online streaming service.
This "multi-year" deal will commence on September 1, and demonstrates how Netflix is continuing to strengthen its "Watch Instantly" feature. The popular by-mail and streaming company has already partnered with Starz to expand its online catalog, but this deal will bring even more titles to its rich library. The deal will add "an array" of new releases and titles from Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM, which combine for more than 21% of movie studio market share. More than half of Netflix subscribers stream movies and TV online, and that number passed 60% in July.
"The future really is streaming," Steve Swasey,...
This "multi-year" deal will commence on September 1, and demonstrates how Netflix is continuing to strengthen its "Watch Instantly" feature. The popular by-mail and streaming company has already partnered with Starz to expand its online catalog, but this deal will bring even more titles to its rich library. The deal will add "an array" of new releases and titles from Paramount, Lionsgate, and MGM, which combine for more than 21% of movie studio market share. More than half of Netflix subscribers stream movies and TV online, and that number passed 60% in July.
"The future really is streaming," Steve Swasey,...
- 8/10/2010
- by Austin Carr
- Fast Company
New York -- The $1 billion, five-year exclusive Internet streaming deal with Netflix will help make Epix profitable for its fiscal year that starts in October, Epix CEO Mark Greenberg told The Hollywood Reporter Tuesday.
"This and our other deals will make us profitable for our next fiscal year," he said. "We have kept our costs and burn rate low."
Asked about the ongoing financial troubles of MGM, Greenberg said they haven't been much of a distraction as his team has focused on working with "the phenomenal library (that) MGM has."
Still, he acknowledged that new film releases would help. "Our expectation is that by the end of the year they are out of this dance with the Wall Street community and the bankers, and then they are on a course going forward, which should be great news for us," he said. "They are planning on releasing some movies next year,...
"This and our other deals will make us profitable for our next fiscal year," he said. "We have kept our costs and burn rate low."
Asked about the ongoing financial troubles of MGM, Greenberg said they haven't been much of a distraction as his team has focused on working with "the phenomenal library (that) MGM has."
Still, he acknowledged that new film releases would help. "Our expectation is that by the end of the year they are out of this dance with the Wall Street community and the bankers, and then they are on a course going forward, which should be great news for us," he said. "They are planning on releasing some movies next year,...
- 8/10/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The global economic crisis has affected entertainment industry bottom lines, but there has been an exception.
It's not a hot new media kid on the block. It's the unsexy 35-year-old pay TV biz, which has held its own and even experienced growth the past couple of years.
"During tough economic times, consumers look for value," said Eric Kessler, co-president of HBO, the largest pay service. "For less than two movie tickets or the price of a DVD, they receive a full slate of theatrical films for a month, plus all of HBO's award-winning original programming."
HBO not only boasts the most premium subscribers, but the Time Warner-owned paybox also has the biggest profit margins. In 2009, it received an average of $6.25 a month from 41 million subscribers, generating operating revenue of $3.84 billion against operating expenses of only $2.48 billion, according to analysis by SNL Kagan using Nielsen data.
That per-subscriber figure is...
It's not a hot new media kid on the block. It's the unsexy 35-year-old pay TV biz, which has held its own and even experienced growth the past couple of years.
"During tough economic times, consumers look for value," said Eric Kessler, co-president of HBO, the largest pay service. "For less than two movie tickets or the price of a DVD, they receive a full slate of theatrical films for a month, plus all of HBO's award-winning original programming."
HBO not only boasts the most premium subscribers, but the Time Warner-owned paybox also has the biggest profit margins. In 2009, it received an average of $6.25 a month from 41 million subscribers, generating operating revenue of $3.84 billion against operating expenses of only $2.48 billion, according to analysis by SNL Kagan using Nielsen data.
That per-subscriber figure is...
- 7/1/2010
- by By Alex Ben Block
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A majority of subscribers of premium TV service Epix watch movies across multiple platforms and screens, and giving users the opportunity to do so makes the service stickier.
In a survey ahead of the Ncta Cable Show in La this week, the joint venture of Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate found this and other evidence that consumers in the digital age, especially the 25-44 year old demo Epix targets, enjoy its approach of making content available in a variety of ways. And it is using the data to pitch itself as a way for distributors to avoid chord-cutting.
According to the results of the survey of more than 500 Epix subscribers across the country, 59% said they view entertainment content on linear TV, on demand and online.
On demand is actually the preferred method of watching for 43%, followed by linear TV at 39% and online with 19%. That seems to validate Epix's position early on...
In a survey ahead of the Ncta Cable Show in La this week, the joint venture of Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate found this and other evidence that consumers in the digital age, especially the 25-44 year old demo Epix targets, enjoy its approach of making content available in a variety of ways. And it is using the data to pitch itself as a way for distributors to avoid chord-cutting.
According to the results of the survey of more than 500 Epix subscribers across the country, 59% said they view entertainment content on linear TV, on demand and online.
On demand is actually the preferred method of watching for 43%, followed by linear TV at 39% and online with 19%. That seems to validate Epix's position early on...
- 5/10/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- Oliver Stone and writer Bruce Wagner have struck a development deal with Epix, with their first project being a one-hour scripted dramatic series called "Still Holding," based on Wagner's novel of the same name.
The series for the premium TV service, which is run by Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM, will explore "the colliding worlds of three disparate people in Los Angeles, and the violent consequences of love and betrayal, of holding on and letting go," Epix said. Stone and Wagner will executive produce. They previously worked together on six-hour sci-fi drama mini-series "Wild Palms," which first aired on ABC in 1993.
"I'm interested in the possibilities in television," Stone said. "When a company like Epix comes along, it's a chance to break new ground. They want to make their mark. They want to entertain and provoke; they don't want their drama or comedy watered down."
Said Epix president...
The series for the premium TV service, which is run by Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM, will explore "the colliding worlds of three disparate people in Los Angeles, and the violent consequences of love and betrayal, of holding on and letting go," Epix said. Stone and Wagner will executive produce. They previously worked together on six-hour sci-fi drama mini-series "Wild Palms," which first aired on ABC in 1993.
"I'm interested in the possibilities in television," Stone said. "When a company like Epix comes along, it's a chance to break new ground. They want to make their mark. They want to entertain and provoke; they don't want their drama or comedy watered down."
Said Epix president...
- 4/30/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York - Premium TV network Epix on Monday unveiled a carriage agreement with satellite TV giant Dish Network, which has 14.1 million subscribers.
With the deal, Epix will be available to as many as more than 30 million homes by May. Financial details were not disclosed.
Epix, a Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM joint venture, has long pursued a satellite TV deal since its first distribution agreement late last summer and since launching at the end of October. The Dish agreement marks its sixth overall distribution pact after signing with Verizon FiOS, as well as cable operators Cox, Nctc and Charter and Mediacom (the final two of which launch in the next couple of weeks).
Epix is expected to launch on Dish in the next 10 days and is expected to first become available on the sat TV firm's HD tier.
Epix president and CEO Mark Greenberg said the Dish arrangement "is a...
With the deal, Epix will be available to as many as more than 30 million homes by May. Financial details were not disclosed.
Epix, a Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM joint venture, has long pursued a satellite TV deal since its first distribution agreement late last summer and since launching at the end of October. The Dish agreement marks its sixth overall distribution pact after signing with Verizon FiOS, as well as cable operators Cox, Nctc and Charter and Mediacom (the final two of which launch in the next couple of weeks).
Epix is expected to launch on Dish in the next 10 days and is expected to first become available on the sat TV firm's HD tier.
Epix president and CEO Mark Greenberg said the Dish arrangement "is a...
- 4/19/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- Epix has reached a carriage deal with another large cable partner, unveiling Thursday that Charter Communications will launch the premium entertainment channel in May.
Financial details weren't disclosed.
Epix, a joint venture of Viacom Inc., MGM and Lionsgate, said through its various distribution partnerships it will be available for consumers in nearly 16 million homes by May.
It has taken Epix time to sign up distribution partners, with some of the biggest companies in the space having expressed doubt about the need for more premium channels.
Charter, which ended the third quarter of 2009 with 4.9 million basic cable subscribers, is its biggest partner behind Cox Communications to-date. It has also reached carriage agreements with Verizon's FiOS TV and small cable operator Mediacom Communications.
Said Epix president Mark Greenberg: "Teaming with a cable operator that has the reach of Charter significantly increases our national footprint and is an important...
Financial details weren't disclosed.
Epix, a joint venture of Viacom Inc., MGM and Lionsgate, said through its various distribution partnerships it will be available for consumers in nearly 16 million homes by May.
It has taken Epix time to sign up distribution partners, with some of the biggest companies in the space having expressed doubt about the need for more premium channels.
Charter, which ended the third quarter of 2009 with 4.9 million basic cable subscribers, is its biggest partner behind Cox Communications to-date. It has also reached carriage agreements with Verizon's FiOS TV and small cable operator Mediacom Communications.
Said Epix president Mark Greenberg: "Teaming with a cable operator that has the reach of Charter significantly increases our national footprint and is an important...
- 2/4/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York -- Epix has signed a third carriage deal, adding small cable operator Mediacom Communications to its list of distribution partners.
The seventh-largest U.S. cable TV firm will begin distributing the premium TV service, which is a joint venture of Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, in April.
The companies didn't disclose financial or other terms of the agreement.
"Mediacom is a great distribution partner that serves a unique marketplace in our country -- smaller towns and rural communities," said Mark Greenberg, president of Epix. "We are particularly excited to work with them and to demonstrate the on demand and online capabilities that Epix has developed."...
The seventh-largest U.S. cable TV firm will begin distributing the premium TV service, which is a joint venture of Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate, in April.
The companies didn't disclose financial or other terms of the agreement.
"Mediacom is a great distribution partner that serves a unique marketplace in our country -- smaller towns and rural communities," said Mark Greenberg, president of Epix. "We are particularly excited to work with them and to demonstrate the on demand and online capabilities that Epix has developed."...
- 1/13/2010
- by By Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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