MGM and Lionsgate Just Decided We Need More Streamers with Plus Signs

[John2021]

MGM and Lionsgate Just Decided We Need More Streamers with Plus Signs

Epix is becoming MGM+ and STARZPLAY is becoming Lionsgate+. And now Lionsgate says it may spin off its studio instead of selling Starz.

www.indiewire.com

 

[ncted]

When can we get SatelliteGuys+?

 

[Bruce]

MGM and Lionsgate Just Decided We Need More Streamers with Plus Signs

Epix is becoming MGM+ and STARZPLAY is becoming Lionsgate+. And now Lionsgate says it may spin off its studio instead of selling Starz.

www.indiewire.com

Both of them should just combine because neither of them have enough content to support such a service.

 

[klang]

Saw this the other day. I do watch some stuff on Epix and am a subscriber now. Will be interesting to see what Amazon does with this. (if anything).

 

[NashGuy]

Both of them should just combine because neither of them have enough content to support such a service.

Well, the only thing I can see Epix (soon to be MGM+, lol) potentially ever merging with is Amazon's own Prime Video. I figured that would happen in the next couple years, so I'm a little surprised to see Amazon rebranding Epix. Why rebrand it if the plan is to kill it? But given that all MGM movies are also streaming on Prime Video, and given how little revenue Epix must bring in for Amazon (at least relatively speaking), I don't quite see the strategy of keeping it going long-run on its own as MGM+.

Now I have had a pet theory for awhile now that, between Showtime, Starz and AMC, we'll eventually end up seeing at least two of them merge, maybe all three. As is the case with AMC+ now, it wouldn't be a global thing, but a US-only premium adult-focused service without the backing of a major studio. Focus would be on their new original series and docs (commissioned from a range of outside studios), plus recent indie films (e.g. A24, IFC Films, etc.), complemented by a catalog of older mainstream Hollywood movies too. As is already the case with all three services, some of their "originals" would be imported from foreign services (e.g. AMC+'s This Is Going to Hurt, Showtime's Back to Life) while all their American-made originals would quickly show up on other services outside the US.

In addition to HBO -- which will definitely end up somehow tied to a major global streamer backed by a major studio -- I think the US market is big enough to sustain one additional large standalone/add-on premium service priced somewhere in that $10-15/mo zone. But I don't really see Showtime, Starz or AMC+ being big enough on their own, while also having to compete with each other for pretty much the same pool of viewers. So some amount of consolidation between those services would make sense.

 

[John2021]

Both of them should just combine because neither of them have enough content to support such a service.

AGREE!!! i barely watch epix. it's the same crap over and over

 

[John2021]

When can we get SatelliteGuys+?

sateeliteguys+ with a hopper 3

 

[Radioguy41]

Just switched from PBS ( a waste of time) to MGM+ on Prime. Both are $5.99 a month so that's a wash. There is a heckuva lot more I'll watch on MGM+ than PBS was offering. I was a bit surpised at the range of content, everything from new shows/films all the way back to the 1930's. Methinks it's time to say goodbye to TCM and it's 1980's/ 90's/Polish/ Japanese/etc content.