Bell Media and HBO to embark on new original co-production partnership

From a media release:

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.

Bell Media and HBO will further bolster their new partnership with a landmark programming and production arrangement. The two companies will co-develop original, Canadian drama, comedy, and factual productions for their platforms and for distribution around the world. Several projects have already been selected for development from production companies Inverted Pictures/Artists Studio, Rhombus Media, and Force Four Entertainment. Additionally, new HBO Comedy specials featuring established and emerging Canadian comedians will also be considered.

Earlier this year, Bell Media announced its premium TV streaming service CraveTV would become available to all Canadians with an Internet subscription in January, 2016. In September, 2014, Bell Media announced it had exclusively acquired the national multi-platform rights for the entire off-air library of HBO’s iconic programming catalogue, which is now featured on CraveTV.

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3 thoughts on “Bell Media and HBO to embark on new original co-production partnership”

  1. The big question is will Crave simulcast with HBO Now? Netflix, Crave and Shomi can’t compete with torrents on price yet Netflix keeps getting stronger because of content and convenience. The Canadian telcoms are grabbing content but for some reason cannot seem to stream things when the US does, despite the fact they’ve done it for decades on traditional TV with simsub.

    That really buzzed about “The Man in the High Castle” from Amazon today? Nowhere to be officially seen in Canada yet. The telcoms dislike of Netflix is plain to see, and Shomi and Crave exist as Netflix competitors partly because the US rivals Hulu and Amazon Prime aren’t supposed to be here. Yet, with Shomi and soon Crave set to be standalone services, they still delay content consumers want; if they have it at all, the opposite of Netflix. Making people wait until 2017 to see the 2016 season of GoT isn’t going to convince people to sign up for Crave. They now have the deal to function like HBO Now so they need to follow through to get people to sign up.

    This applies to Canadian cable channels too. Space is good with simulcasting Orphan Black and such, it needs to keep doing that. Mr. Robot became a breakout hit that nobody expected so the delay of months in Canada was understandable for the first season. If Showcase wants to stay relevant it will need to simulcast Season 2 next year with USA network, Amazon Prime UK is already confirmed to be doing this and they just got the show online a little while ago.

    As for streaming from the telecoms: A way to attract some millennials that grew up with TV but don’t have it now would be to get some anime which Prime and Hulu have. Sailor Moon Crystal and Dragon Ball Super for nostalgia and new content at the same time, I believe the dubs for the previous shows were done in Canada, and adult titles like Attack on Titan. For further reference look at the Toonami block on Adult Swim US that isn’t available at all in Canada. (Add in the animated-in-Canada Rick & Morty as well). Guess what? Netflix announced it wants to start making anime. A Canadian company could actually beat them to something if the acted quick.

  2. Oh and Netflix has a new show today too: Marvel’s Jessica Jones that’s available in Canada! And they wonder why consumers are loyal to Netflix.

  3. “To Be – Or Not To Be”

    2017 may – or may not – be Canada’s 150th Birthday. It’s looking a whole lot like it will be her Deathday.

    Imagine $ 700 Million at $ 1 million per episode producing 700 episodes of 53 five star All-Canadian TV shows every year that would be the envy of the world gobbling them up to watch too.

    Instead – all Canadian based networks spend approx $ 700 Million of Canadians’ money every year to buy American shows –

    and the majority of Canadians cheer.

    I weep – Sir John weeps (if you know who that was you’d surprise me) — all the Canadian soldiers and supporting personnel who died in 2 world wars and dozens of smaller ones weep in their cold forgotten graves

    Today is what they really died for – uselessly – so the majority of Canadians could be so complacently not caring whether Canada lives or dies, and even helping it to become the latter.

    I wish now at 65 I’d never been born, let alone born in Canada, to live to witness this betrayal of Canada expiring on her death bed

    I am beyond proud to be Canadian — I am beyond ashamed of most Canadians of today.

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