Add extra manufacturers to the checklist of these hopping aboard the “+” service bandwagon. To start, MGM is relaunching its movie-oriented Epix streaming service and TV channel as MGM+ on January fifteenth, 2023. It will proceed Epix’s mix of originals and “curated” motion pictures from varied studios. You’ll additionally discover it within the acquainted locations, together with by Prime Video (Amazon owns MGM, in any case), different digital companies and standard TV suppliers.
Simultaneously, Starz has simply rebranded its worldwide streaming service Starzplay as Lionsgate+ for 35 of the 63 international locations the place it operates. North Americans will nonetheless see the same old Starz title, whereas Lionsgate Play (in components of Asia) and Starzplay Arabia can even stay unchanged. As with MGM+, the precise service will stay intact. This is extra about capitalizing on the “valuable” nature of the Lionsgate title and attempting to face out (by tacking on the identical “+” as everybody else), based on Starz chief Jeffrey Hirsch.
TechCrunch notes Lionsgate plans to separate Starz from its studio enterprise, and hoped for the spinoff to finish the transfer this summer season. That clearly did not occur, however the rebrand is a step in that route.
In both case, the technique is acquainted. As with CBS All Access’ revival as Paramount+, it is a bid to profit from a widely known model whereas nodding to a streaming-first actuality. Whether or not this helps is one other story. Their streaming companies are comparatively small (Starz has 35.8 million subscribers, for instance) in comparison with heavyweights like Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix. They’re not in hassle, however title modifications by themselves aren’t prone to increase demand.
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