Lionsgate is launching MovieSphere Gold, an all-movie digital network to feature library titles like Dirty Dancing, Rambo, Kick Ass and The Shack.
The ad-supported venture from the Lionsgate Worldwide Television Distribution Group and Debmar-Mercury has already debuted in around 30 million homes, including on DirecTV, Dish TV, Frndly and Sling Freestream, and broadcast groups reaching over 80 percent of the U.S. market. The digital offering will effectively tap the Hollywood studio’s 20,000-plus movie vault for fresh titles.
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While movies are readily available on major streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, MovieSphere Gold represents an entire service devoted only to movie titles.
“MovieSphere Gold represents the next evolution in multicast entertainment,” Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution for Lionsgate, said in a statement. “This new digital network gives audiences access to acclaimed titles that were previously unavailable in this space, offering a richer, more diverse selection of films than ever before.”
MovieSphere Gold, also to feature films from The Hunger Games and The Expandables franchises, and will have CBS Media Ventures handling national advertising sales. Other launch titles include Daybreakers, Scream 4, Sinister, The Cabin in the Woods, Murder So Sweet and Baby For Sale.
Debmar-Mercury co-presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus added in their own statement: “MovieSphere Gold offers us the rare opportunity to enter into an area of television – digital broadcasting – that is growing year over year with eight diginets now among the top-50 entertainment networks. And because of the massive size and quality of the Lionsgate film library, this now gives us the unique ability to pivot to the titles that perform best with viewers.”
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