EPIX LAUNCHES STREAMING SERVICE

The race for streaming services is set to get even more competitive as MGM-owned television network Epix put its name in the foray.

The new streaming service, EpixNow, launched in the US will have a large library of films and the channel’s original television shows, according to a report on The Verge.

The service is a spinoff from the premium cable channel, which launched in 2009 and currently counts 15 million subscribers. It costs $5.99 a month, and is now available for Apple and Google devices, and will soon be available for Roku and Amazon Fire TV users.

Users will also be able to download programming and stream video to connected devices.

While the channel is owned by MGM, it’s not a streaming service that covers the larger studio.

Epix spokeswomen says that the channel has distribution agreements that cover much of the films from MGM, Paramount, and Lionsgate films, which includes movies like J.J. Abram’s Star Trek, Alex Garland’s Annihilation, Denis Villenvue’s Arrival, James Cameron’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day, and John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place.

The platform’s television selection is limited to Epix’s original shows like Berlin Station, and Deep State available, rather than the larger back-catalog that MGM holds.

Epix’s spokeswoman told The Verge that the company made the decision to launch now, because it has a “steady stream of content coming this year,” including its forthcoming Batman prequel Pennyworth, its justannounced adaptation of Slate’s podcast Slow Burn, and new seasons of its existing shows.

Epix and MGM face an increasingly-crowded marketplace when it comes to streaming services. The entry of yet another streaming platform feels like another nail in the preverbal coffin for the argument that it’s cheaper to ditch cable.