Premium channels

[SilentYoda]

What are your favorite premium channels and what is your opinion about premium channels? Which premium channels are useless or need to shutdown?

I'm going to share mine.

Epix - it was formed after Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate couldn't reach the agreement with Showtime to renew the deal for first-run films, however some people believe that 3 film distributions should went to Starz or HBO/Cinemax before Epix was formed and we have too many premium channels when compared to other countries like UK only have Sky.

HBO - all HBO programming and films are on live channels but they don't include Max contents when air on live channels. Some people preferred live channels in case if they can't think about want to watch. HBO is focusing on original programming.

Cinemax - many of their films are included in HBO Max and it is usually seen as duplication, however some films are exclusive on Cinemax and you have to pay $10 extra monthly. Many cable companies dropped Cinemax from bundled package because they see as duplication and not useful.

Starz - they lost the first-run films with Sony, so possibly first-run films would be Lionsgate after deal with Epix expires. They had deal with Disney until expired in 2016. Beside possibly new Lionsgate films, it is going to be syndication of old films. I will list Encore and MoviePlex separately.

MoviePlex - it is often included in mid tier cable package so it can be useful if you don't have Starz and Encore. MoviePlex usually air movies that are more than 5 years old when first-run and second-run deal with other networks expired.

Encore - it is usually included in higher tier, dedicated movie package and Starz package, so Encore has unique - they air western shows and movies. They used to air TV shows like Knight Rider, Miami Vice, A-Team, 80s Magnum, P.I. and 80s children programing in the past, so all of them got removed after licensing agreement expired. They have old movies (more than 5 years old) and sometime, there is several recent movies, sharing with Starz like HBO and Cinemax.

Showtime - they don't have first-run rights with big studios so they usually air recent independent movies and older movies. Showtime focus on original programming. It may change after deal with Epix expires for Paramount movies, but ViacomCBS seems intended to air on Paramount+ instead. Paramount+ has no live channels that air on cable. Paramount+ and Showtime is just remind of HBO Max and Cinemax, however Showtime is big with original series.

The Movie Channel - duplication and it is useful if you don't have Showtime. It is basically Showtime with no original series.

Flix - it is often included in mid tier cable and it is useful if you don't have Showtime, so it is 100% movie channel and duplication. Flix isn't available on internet live TV due to duplication, so Showtime live channels are enough, so same goes with The Movie Channel.

ScreenPix - it is newest premium channels that is Epix's version of Encore/Cinemax/MoviePlex/The Movie Channel/Flix. ScreenPix has a lot of classic films that are less likely to air on major channels, so if you are fan of classic and rare films so you would love ScreenPix. Few Epix movies are included in ScreenPix, so most of their films are owned by MGM, including all predecessors and closed companies after MGM bought like Cannon, 21st Century Film and others. ScreenPix isn't available on many cable companies, so Youtube TV has all of 4 channels.

HDNet Movies, Sony Movies and MGM HD air old movies that aren't carried by major networks, so HDNet Movies is 100% ads free but it has infomercials in graveyard slot. Sony Movies and MGM HD are advertised supported but not lengthy as AMC, TBS, TNT, Sundance, Paramount Network and ads supported channels.

I do think that Cinemax should be merged and it should be included in HBO Max instead of operate separately.

Have too many streaming services forced Starz to cut a lot of films, dropped from 1,500 in 2015 to 800 now. All thanks to Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max and Disney+ make Starz useless. It doesn't affect Epix so hard as Starz did because Epix has a lot of classic movies (1950s and earlier) that are rarely rotate, so they launched ScreenPix that is basically extended version of Epix.

 

[harry580]

I agreed that Cinemax should merged with hbo, maybe the merger be even be better than Starz/encore merger which cause studios to cut ties with starz

I think sony or universal could buy either epix from mgm if amazon didn't want to run a premium cable network (sony could fold sony movie channel and cine sony into epix) or Starz/encore from lionsgate in a event if viacomcbs bought lionsgate and sell Starz because Viacomcbs has showtime

 

[SilentYoda]

Starz/encore merger which cause studios to cut ties with starz

Oh wow, I didn't know that Starz's merger of Encore led studios to cut the ties with Starz. I thought too much competition hurt Starz.

I think sony or universal could buy either epix from mgm if amazon didn't want to run a premium cable network

Since Amazon's acquisition of MGM is vertical, so Amazon likely to left MGM alone and let MGM make decision with movies, shows, channels and other assets. If MGM want to left Epix and ScreenPix alone so they aren't going to mess. The deal with MGM is complicated and Amazon would have to honor the legacy agreements with other networks.

sony could fail sony movie channel and cine sony into epix

Real problem - most cable companies don't carry couple of Sony channels, even most internet live TV won't either, so you can get Sony Movies with Philo. Cable company's treatment with Sony Movies is similar to Boomerang.

I thought Sony has deal with Netflix for first-run and Disney+/Hulu for second-run.

Starz/encore from lionsgate in a event if viacomcbs bought lionsgate and sell Starz because Viacomcbs has showtime

Lionsgate no longer want Starz and they want to turn Starz into separate company. I just learned that Lionsgate opt to have deal with Hulu and FX for first-run movies, so it means Lionsgate deal with Epix ended.

I didn't hear about ViacomCBS want to buy Lionsgate. Oh wow, I learned about complicated informations and I'm just trying to understand.

 

[harry580]

Real problem - most cable companies don't carry couple of Sony channels, even most internet live TV won't either, so you can get Sony Movies with Philo. Cable company's treatment with Sony Movies is similar to Boomerang.

I meant fold sony movie channel and cine sony into the epix name so sorry for your confusion

Lionsgate no longer want Starz and they want to turn Starz into separate company.

if they do that, would that mean that open a possibly of a company would buy Starz or a separate Starz company would be like 2013-2016 Starz all over again

 

[SilentYoda]

I meant fold sony movie channel and cine sony into the epix name so sorry for your confusion

No worries, I absolutely hate to see cable company not open to new channels and they claimed that bandwidth limit was major reason to not carry more channels, but they shut the analog cable down and it should free up. Comcast eliminated the needs for SDV but not case with Charter Spectrum.

Charter Spectrum hasn't add new channels since last acquisition with Time Warner Cable and Bright House, so they don't work well with TiVo. Most of their technicians don't know to handle with dedicated SDV tuning device.

if they do that, would that mean that open a possibly of a company would buy Starz or a separate Starz company would be like 2013-2016 Starz all over again

Yeah, it is crazy. It looks like Lionsgate has no future plan at all. If Lionsgate did nothing with Starz, beside cut 700 movies out and maintain the same price, so it is best interest for new CEO to lead the Starz.

 

[Space Cadet]

As someone who gets Starz, they also have an impressive slate of original series. They don't get as much focus as HBO or even Showtime's originals, but they have shows that do well like the Power series and Outlander.

 

[AdrenalineRush1996]

Lionsgate no longer want Starz and they want to turn Starz into separate company.

Where did you hear about this?

 

[themidnightlore]

Premium channels are cool.
Italy, sadly, doesn't have them anymore. (The closest thing I can think of that is Caccia&Pesca on Sky?)

Not sure if it can be counted as a premium channel, but the German Sony Channel is a little threat. In spite of its name, it only airs European content. (It's Sony AXN the place for American series). I say that I'm not sure that I can't count as that as it even exists as a channel on Amazon Prime Video (both Sony AXN and Sony Channel (and Animax!).

Re: Sony and their channels in US. From what I think it goes, Game Show Network is everywhere. For getTV, I presume it should be a bit everywhere, being an OTA channel. It's Sony Movies and Sony Cine that get the short end of the stick.

 

[SilentYoda]

Where did you hear about this?

Lionsgate Considering Selling Starz | What's On Disney Plus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjWEQwZAH3c During Lionsgate quarterly investors call, it was revealed that its board of directors has given the greenlight to its management team to explore spinning off or selling its Starz streaming service. Lionsgate purchased Starz in 2016 for $4.4 billion...

whatsondisneyplus.com

There is other consideration, Lionsgate signed the agreement with Hulu and FX for first-run films, so it is indicate that Lionsgate doesn’t have much interest in Starz.

Lionsgate Pacts With Hulu, FX for Two-Year Output Deal

Disney-controlled streaming service Hulu and cable channel FX have jointly bought the rights to show Lionsgate movies released in 2020 and 2021. The news was first reported Tuesday by The Informati…

variety.com

Re: Sony and their channels in US. From what I think it goes, Game Show Network is everywhere. For getTV, I presume it should be a bit everywhere, being an OTA channel. It's Sony Movies and Sony Cine that get the short end of the stick.

Philo and YouTube TV agreed with Sony to receive getTV. I wish that Hulu would be same as well.

 

[Megumi]

I don't watch any, and they are going to be a thing of the past. What I'm wondering is what existing services are they going to end up using.

 

[SilentYoda]

I don't watch any, and they are going to be a thing of the past. What I'm wondering is what existing services are they going to end up using.

They are only useful if anyone have no broadband access like remote areas and rural areas, or extremely congested broadband like certain apartments and condos that where cable companies hesitate to expand the bandwidth. Some neighborhoods in CenturyLink, Windstream and AT&T are on permanent exhaust so it means they won't update the DSLAM, so if breaks, DSLAM is abandoned and neighborhoods lose the internet access for good.

I had awful experience with Comcast at condo in Florida during summer, so their speed dropped to less than dial-up speed and it went almost normal after midnight to 6 am. I was very upset and end up watching cable TV as only one option.