Sony Pictures TV Lands Canadian Movie Channels

TORONTO – Canadian broadcaster Hollywood Suite is pacting with Sony Pictures Television Networks to rebrand the existing Canadian movie channel Hollywood Festival as the Sony Movie Channel, while also remaking Hollywood Storm as AXN Movies.

our editor recommends

Sony Pictures Television Networks Shakes up EMEA Management Structure

Sony Pictures Television Buys U.K. TV Banner Silver River Productions

Hollywood Suite already owns and operates the Warner Films and MGM Channel in Canada, as it partners with Hollywood studios and picks from their movie vaults to create branded channels for Canadian cable and satellite TV subscribers.

Sony Movie Channel will feature a lineup that includes classics like The Big Chill, Tootsie and The Graduate, while AXN Movies will screen its own classics like Taxi Driver, The Karate Kid and Ghostbusters.

“We continue to see strong demand for HD movies presented without commercial interruption, and these channels will bring our first-rate catalogue of feature films directly to viewers,” Andy Kaplan, president of worldwide networks at Sony Pictures Television, said, explaining the Canadian tie-up with Hollywood Suite.

Canadian broadcasters routinely relaunch existing channels as American brands, including Drive-In Classics becoming the Sundance Channel Canada, Viva turning itself into OWN Canada and Dusk becoming ABC’s Spark channel in Canada.

Earlier this week, rival broadcaster Shaw Media said it will pact with A+E Networks to bring Lifetime and H2 north of the border, likely as rebrands of existing local channels.