Viacom's new premium network: EPIX

[thecoolone]

From The Hollywood Reporter | hollywoodreporter.com

Par, Lionsgate, MGM venture named Epix
Premium TV service will launch in fourth-quarter 2009

By Kimberly Nordyke
Dec 12, 2008, 02:58 PM ET


Epix has been selected as the name for the new premium TV channel and VOD service from Viacom and its Paramount Pictures unit, Lionsgate and MGM.

A spokesperson for Studio 3 Partners, the company that runs the service, confirmed the news, which was first reported Friday by MediaPost.

"Studio 3 Partners has filed applications for multiple trademarks," the spokesperson said. "This is another step forward in the launch of our next-generation premium television brand with a strong programming lineup including films produced by Paramount, MGM and Lionsgate as well as original series. We are excited about our progress and are on track with our plans to launch in the fourth quarter of 2009."

There has been little news regarding the new venture since May, when former Showtime exec Mark Greenberg was named president and CEO of the service, which is intended to be compete with HBO and Showtime in the pay TV space.

Greenberg said at the time that the partners had begun discussions with cable and satellite operators, but carriage deals have yet to be announced for the service.

[Old Guy]

It can beat Showtime, but HBO and Starz will be tough. They gotta have awesome programming in order to pull it off.

[sleepydumbdude]

More premium series, yah! Only thing I watch on those channels are the series anymore. I usually cancel my subscriptions when episode runs are over and pick back up when they come back.

[thecoolone]

Jossip has an article on how they think the new channel should compete with the others.

http://www.jossip.com/what-viacoms-new-premium-network-epix-needs-to-do-right-20081212/

[Hurricane V1]

TNA wrestling recently announced that they were creating a new hour of programming based on older shows they've done called TNA EPIX. I wondered what channel would host it, since the article didn't mention any names. Now I think I have a good idea... Probably the first wrestling program to air on a premium channel.

[Lord Mawdryn]

I wonder if this might just be the home for a new Star Trek TV series one day...
http://forum.classicamiga.com/images/smilies/custom/hmmm.gif

[Vyse]

I wonder if this might just be the home for a new Star Trek TV series one day...
http://forum.classicamiga.com/images/smilies/custom/hmmm.gif
Nope. CBS (who owns Showtime) owns Star Trek. Yeah, both CBS and Viacom (co-creator and distributor of EPIX) are technically owned by Mr. Redstone and clan, and CBS still uses Paramount for DVD distribution and the releases of Star Trek movies, they're still separate entities and a Star Trek TV series on a premium network not called Showtime (or The Movie Channel) is not kosher. Or, made with millions and millions of cash being transferred to allow such event to happen.

Back on-topic, when I hear EPIX, I think of California Games, not a premium network. Still, it beats what I thought it would be called: XTV.

[Lord Mawdryn]

Nope. CBS (who owns Showtime) owns Star Trek. Yeah, both CBS and Viacom (co-creator and distributor of EPIX) are technically owned by Mr. Redstone and clan, and CBS still uses Paramount for DVD distribution and the releases of Star Trek movies, they're still separate entities and a Star Trek TV series on a premium network not called Showtime (or The Movie Channel) is not kosher.

Actually, that doesn't mean too much. Despite now being owned by CBS, Paramount's TV division has continued to produce shows for other networks including those in its family (the CW) as well as those that aren't (NBC and USA, most recently).

In that light, CBS/Paramount could really create a show for any network. There's really nothing stopping EPIX from approaching CBS to produce a TV series for them...except for the small fact that the heads of CBS and Viacom still apparently hate one another.
http://forum.classicamiga.com/images/smilies/custom/chair.gif

[Leviathan]

EPIX? That sounds like the name for an extreme sports network. Hopefully the name will change in time.


except for the small fact that the heads of CBS and Viacom still apparently hate one another.

That's not unusual. Time Warner is just a big husk of transplanted organs rejecting each other.

[Lord Mawdryn]

EPIX? That sounds like the name for an extreme sports network. Hopefully the name will change in time.

It's definitely not an original name. Go to a search engine and you'll find that there are a bunch of companies that already go by EPIX...

[Leviathan]

Still, unless they're going for a younger, hipper audience, the EPIX moniker doesn't seem like it will fit what the network actually programs.

[Vyse]

Actually, that doesn't mean too much. Despite now being owned by CBS, Paramount's TV division has continued to produce shows for other networks including those in its family (the CW) as well as those that aren't (NBC and USA, most recently).

In that light, CBS/Paramount could really create a show for any network. There's really nothing stopping EPIX from approaching CBS to produce a TV series for them...except for the small fact that the heads of CBS and Viacom still apparently hate one another.
http://forum.classicamiga.com/images/smilies/custom/chair.gif
I do know that. (cough*Batman-on-Toon-Disney*cough*for-similarities*cough). However, would CBS have a new installment for one of their prized, most historic, and valued franchises (Star Trek) air on a network (EPIX) that was created to rival their own prized gem (Showtime) unless the network and/or its parent either cough up millions upon millions of dollars for the right or help create it themselves (ie the Star Trek movies, including the new one)? Sure, two of the CSI shows air on Spike, but they could have gone to A&E, which airs the other. Or to TNT, which gives NBC-Uni tons of cash to keep Law & Order proper from joining SVU and CI on USA. And countless other ideas, scenarios, and ramblings. Reguardless, Lord Mawdryn, I don't see Star Trek: Let's Milk The Hype The 11th Movie Created (for the lack of a better term) coming to EPIX. Sci-Fi, maybe. But not EPYX EPIX.

[Lord Mawdryn]

I do know that. (cough*Batman-on-Toon-Disney*cough*for-similarities*cough). However, would CBS have a new installment for one of their prized, most historic, and valued franchises (Star Trek) air on a network (EPIX) that was created to rival their own prized gem (Showtime) unless the network and/or its parent either cough up millions upon millions of dollars for the right or help create it themselves (ie the Star Trek movies, including the new one)?

I think it would really be a case of just how badly an upstart network like EPIX would want an original series that would have an automatic built-in audience, and how much they would want to fork over for it. In an ideal situation, it would be just a case of a TV studio producing a show for a TV network, regardless of their affiliations.

But in hindsight, what really hurts the possibility of a new Star Trek series on EPIX is the apparent animosity between the heads of Paramount's TV and movie divisions, which could be looked at as one of the several reasons behind the split with CBS and Viacom in the first place. EPIX will have the rights to air all of the Star Trek movies, but none of the Star Trek TV series unless they make a separate deal with CBS, which may tell EPIX to promptly go screw themselves.

So rather than be the sister network to Showtime that it could have been, EPIX is regarded as competition because the folks in charge don't like one another and Redstone could care less because both networks will fill his pockets regardless if they work together or against one another.


Sure, two of the CSI shows air on Spike, but they could have gone to A&E, which airs the other. Or to TNT, which gives NBC-Uni tons of cash to keep Law & Order proper from joining SVU and CI on USA. And countless other ideas, scenarios, and ramblings. Reguardless, Lord Mawdryn, I don't see Star Trek: Let's Milk The Hype The 11th Movie Created (for the lack of a better term) coming to EPIX. Sci-Fi, maybe. But not EPYX EPIX.
And that may truly be the case. CBS could produce a new Star Trek series for almost any network except EPIX merely on principle because it's owned by Viacom...

[Jtaylor1]

I hope DirecTV picks it up.