Epix


Ex-Turner & Amblin chief to lead Epix

Former Turner and Amblin Partners chief Michael Wright has joined MGM’s US premium pay TV channel Epix as president. Wright (pictured) recently exited his role as CEO of Amblin Partners, the programming and film business Steven Spielberg launched with Participant Media, Reliance Entertainment and Entertainment One. He is taking over Epix as it settles into […]

Industry vet to lead Cannabis OTT channel

Douglas Lee has been named as general manager of 420TV, the new OTT TV channel focusing on entertainment, news and lifestyle content about cannabis that is backed by online video distributor Ownzones Media Network. Lee, who negotiated the deal that created 420TV on behalf of Ownzones and has been the architect of the channel’s programming, […]

MGM to produce Patrick Dempsey drama for Epix

MGM Television, Eagle Pictures and Barbary Films have started production in Montreal, Canada on a ten-part television series starring Patrick Dempsey (pictured). The series will be produced for MGM-owned Epix, a premium cable network. It is based on a novel by Joël Dicker named The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. Starring Dempsey as Harry […]

Viacom eyes all-cash Scripps takeover

Viacom is reportedly eyeing one of the biggest all-cash takeovers in recent US media history by planning to acquire Scripps Networks Interactive for around US$10.6 billion. According to Reuters, New York-based Viacom is willing to fork out cash to finance the deal, which would add the Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel to a stable […]

MGM to buy all of Epix

Hollywood studio Metro-Goldwin-Mayer is to buy Viacom and Lionsgate out of premium cable channel Epix. MGM will pay around US$1.03 billion to acquire the 80.91% of Epix it doesn’t already own. The ownership change comes after Lionsgate acquired Epix rival Starz in a US$4.4 billion deal, and made intentions to remove itself from Epix public. […]

HBO Europe on-demand nets stop at Berlin Station

HBO Nordic and HBO España make two of three new buyers of Epix’s drama series, Berlin Station. The HBO subscription on-demand services had acquired the ten-episode drama from Paramount Worldwide Television Licensing & Distribution, with Italy’s TIMvision being the other buyer. HBO Nordic launched as an SVOD service in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland in […]

MGM in talks to buy out Epix partners

US studio MGM Holdings is reportedly in talks to buy Viacom and Lionsgate out of their joint venture entertainment cable channel Epix. Film firm MGM has been looking to build out its TV division, and an agreement to acquire the 81% of Epix it doesn’t own would go a long way to bolstering its capabilities. […]

Lionsgate ‘in talks to sell Epix stake’

Lionsgate Entertainment is reportedly set to offload its stake in US premium cable channel Epix to its joint venture partners, Viacom and MGM. According to Reuters citing unnamed sources, Lionsgate has initiated talks with MGM Holdings and Viacom’s film arm, Paramount Pictures, over a deal. Lionsgate has just completed its US$4.4 billion takeover of pay […]

Epix poaches BBCWW exec for content sales

US premium network Epix has poached a high-ranking BBC Worldwide America distribution executive. Sandy Ashendorf (pictured) has been named executive VP, content distribution at the channel, heading network distribution partnerships on all platforms. She was previously EVP, distribution, at the commercially-focused US arm of UK pubcaster the BBC. Before that, she had spent 17 years […]

Meg Ryan returns to TV drama with Epix

US premium cable channel Epix is to bring big screen star Meg Ryan back to television for the first time in more than 30 years. The network has commissioned Kapital Entertainment and Entertainment One to coproduce a small screen version of comedy Picture Paris, which is a 2011 short film about a woman obsessed with […]