Movie Central: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 02:51, 5 December 2007
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| Type | Premium television service |
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| Country | |
| Availability | Western Canada & Territories |
| Owner | Corus Entertainment |
Launch date | 1984 |
Former names | Superchannel First Choice-Superchannel |
Official website | www.moviecentral.ca |
Movie Central (MC) is a Canadian English language premium television service. Movie Central is designated to operate west of the Ontario-Manitoba border, including the territories, which launched in its current form on April 1, 2001, and is owned by Corus Entertainment.
Movie Central is carried by various Canadian cable and satellite television in providers Western Canada including Bell ExpressVu, Star Choice, Shaw, Access Communications and more. It is the equivalent of The Movie Network, which is available in the rest of Canada.
Channels and content
Movie Central operates four multiplex channels. MC operates as a separate service with a separate licence then its sister network, Encore Avenue, although often Encore Avenue is sold together in a package with Movie Central.
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Movie Central: the main "flagship" feed; blockbuster movies and major original series.
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MC 2 - Movies only with a focus on action, thriller, horror and comedy genres.
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MC 3 - Movies only with a focus on drama and romance. Also airs independent and foreign films.
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MC 4 - Original series along with current theatrically released movies.
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Movie Central HD and Movie Central 2 HD: 2 high definition channel feeds, both alternating between simulcasts of Movie Central and its various multiplex channels.
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Movie Central On Demand: a video on demand service delivering content from Movie Central.
Movie Central offers an extensive variety of first-run films and television series, most of which come from the American services HBO and Showtime, as well as critically acclaimed original Canadian series as well, most of which are co-produced in partnership with The Movie Network. Selected time block branded Metro, airs independent, short, festival, foreign, and subtitled films, documentaries and original programming.
Films air on Movie Central approximately 10-12 months after they were in theatres, 3-6 months after pay-per-view and over 1½ years before regular television. Sports coverage is permitted, but in such limited amounts that it is rarely seen, in contrast to HBO and Showtime.
In December 2004, Movie Central launched its first high definition channel called Movie Central HD which delivers simulcasted content from Movie Centrals various multiplex channels excluding EA and EA2. In 2006 MC launched its second HD service called Movie Central 2 HD which delivers an alternative schedule of HD content from Movie Central HD.
Movie Central introduced a video on demand service; Movie Central On Demand, to digital cable subscribers. Content includes films and television series from Movie Central and its four multiplex channels excluding the two Encore Avenue channels.
Noted Series
- Big Love
- Californication
- Curb Your Enthusiasm
- Dexter
- Durham County
- Entourage
- ReGenesis
- Rome
- Stargate Atlantis
- Tell Me You Love Me
History
Movie Central was originally known as Superchannel and was, in fact, the descendant of three regional pay services licensed in 1982: Aim Satellite Broadcasting (British Columbia and Yukon), Allarcom Pay Television (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and what is now the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) - which had incorporated the Saskatchewan-based Teletheatre service a few years earlier - and Ontario Independent Pay Television.
In 1984 these three services were merged under the ownership of Allarcom and exited the Ontario market, while the formerly national service First Choice, which also used the First Choice-Superchannel name, agreed to serve only Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. It is possible that even prior to the merger, the three services worked together in some form, perhaps under the Superchannel name. [1]
With the introduction of TSN and MuchMusic in September 1984, Superchannel converted to a predominantly movie-based service, as did First Choice.
Allarcom was later acquired by Western International Communications, which launched a parallel classic-movie service, MovieMax!, in the Superchannel service area in 1994. Originally featuring movies from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the channel later expanded to earlier movies (its licence actually allows the channel to air movies that are older than five years). When digital cable and satellite TV became available, Superchannel 2 and 3 were introduced (which were Superchannel 1 on two and four hour delays, respectively), plus MovieMax! 2 on satellite only (a two hour delay of MovieMax!). During the WIC years, there was a noticeable difference in quality between the WIC services and their eastern counterparts, due largely to a 1996 lawsuit against HBO for allegedly promoting the grey-market availability of U.S.-based satellite television providers. WIC was at the time also a significant shareholder in ExpressVu. In retaliation HBO refused to license any of its programmes to Superchannel. [2]
The duelling takeover bids for, and eventual split of, WIC resulted in Superchannel and MovieMax! being transferred to Corus Entertainment, which settled the HBO lawsuit and began to license programmes such as The Sopranos. On April 1, 2001, Superchannel and MovieMax! were rebranded under the umbrella brand Movie Central, which consisted of six diverse channels: Movie Central, Adrenaline Drive, Heartland Road, Shadow Lane, Encore Avenue, and Comic Strip. On March 1, 2006, the sub-brands were dropped (as customers were not understanding their meanings and found the names confusing), changing into four channels called Movie Central, and two channels called Encore Avenue, each of which are still diverse in their schedules. On the Encore Avenue stations, the films that are aired are now only from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, possibly due to the introduction of Turner Classic Movies in Canada.
Duopoly issue
The de facto duopoly of The Movie Network and Movie Central has been subject to criticism. No other premium channels broadcast within Canada. Critics argue this limits competition and consumer choice, while proponents of the current system say there is very little in content or functionality that it is not already offered by the existing services.
In July 2005, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission or CRTC, the Canadian federal broadcast regulator, announced that public hearings would begin on October 24, 2005 on four broadcast group applications for new national pay TV licences. Each applicant said they would commit towards the creation of more Canadian program content.
On May 18, 2006, it was announced that the Allarco Entertainment application was accepted, while the other three were rejected. [3] This approved application effectively ends the Movie Network/Movie Central duopoly.