Epix

Epix is an American premium cable and satellite television network that is owned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The channel's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.

Launched in October 2009, Epix is the youngest of the major premium television channels in the United States, and is currently led by President Michael Wright. Since he joined the network in November 2017, Epix has announced many new series including Godfather of Harlem starring Forest Whitaker, Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman's butler Alfred, Our Lady, LTD starring Ben Kingsley and Jimmi Simpson Deep State, unscripted series Unprotected Sets executive produced by Wanda Sykes and the return of The Contender

Epix and, depending on the carriage of any of the latter services, its three multiplex channels are sold by most traditional multichannel video programming distributors either as premium services or as part of a la carte digital movie tiers as well as by over-the-top MVPDs Sling TV (which includes the full Epix multiplex with Epix Drive-In available to all base subscribers and the remaining Epix channels offered as a premium add-on) and PlayStation Vue (which offers the multiplex service Epix Hits and its video-on-demand service as a premium add-on).

Development and launch
2009-2019 logo The formation of Epix was announced on April 21, 2008, after individual negotiations between Paramount Pictures, MGM, and Lionsgate with Showtime to renew their existing film output deals broke down; each of the three studios disagreed with Showtime over the licensing rates for which they wanted Showtime to compensate them to allow future releases to air on the Showtime Networks services. In December 2008, the three studios – which named their jointly owned holding company for the channel, Studio 3 Partners – selected the name "Epix" for their premium channel and on-demand service; the partnership formally announced the launch of Epix at the National Association of Television Program Executives Convention on January 27, 2009. Mark Greenberg – a former executive at HBO, Showtime, and Blockbuster video – created the business plan and strategy then partnered with the three studios (Lions Gate, MGM and Paramount) to build and launch the network. Greenberg was the first CEO of Epix, leading it from its creation in early 2008 through its acquisition by MGM over nine years later in 2017.

The network would focus on both recent feature films from Paramount (specifically those released after 2008), MGM (and subsidiary United Artists) and Lionsgate (consisting of films released by each studio from 2009 onward) as well as library content from each of the studios. Within weeks of its October 2009 launch, Epix signed an exclusive first-run film content agreements with two additional studios: one with Samuel Goldwyn Films to broadcast 20 movies from the studio, and another to carry 22 feature films from independent film studio Roadside Attractions. Studio 3 Partners chose the Viacom subdivision MTV Networks (now Viacom Media Networks) to provide operational support, marketing services and affiliate distribution for the channel. The network hired Mark Greenberg – who formerly served as a marketing executive at HBO and as an executive vice president at Showtime – to serve as Epix's founding president and chief executive officer.

Though Epix was first announced by Studio 3 Partners as strictly a premium service, it eventually began to seek distribution as a hybrid premium/digital basic channel, although its programming would be presented uncut and commercial-free (a structure similar to the distribution method of Starz Encore). The channel also reportedly sought a monthly license fee of $1 to $1.50 per subscriber from prospective providers. Epix reached its first carriage agreement on July 28, 2009, when it signed a deal with Verizon FiOS. That August, two months prior to the channel's launch, three major pay television providers – cable providers Comcast and Cablevision, and satellite provider DirecTV – each formally announced that they would not carry Epix. DirecTV said regarding its decision not to carry the channel: "We think there are enough [premium channels] out there already, we don't see the value of adding another movie channel."

On August 28, 2009, Epix offered a free preview to Verizon FiOS subscribers, showing select films that would be offered by the channel upon its formal debut. During this preview, Epix added between five and seven movie selections every three days from the libraries of its three major studio backers, including the premium cable premieres of the 2008 releases Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Cloverfield. On September 25, 2009, the channel announced plans to launch an expanded online video on demand service – to be known as the "Epix MegaPlex" – that began offering a minimum of 3,000 film titles beginning in the summer of 2010, in comparison to the approximately 200 titles that the basic Epix online VOD service would include in its library upon its official October 2010 launch. Epix's online offering includes over 3,000 titles for streaming, available to all subscribers through the network's apps and Epix.com; as a result, Epix offers a wider library of movies for streaming than the combined offerings by the streaming service of its premium network competitors. The network continues to expand its VOD selection through cable, satellite and telco operators; however, it does not include more than 150 to 200 titles per month due to the bandwidth constraints of these systems.

The Epix television service officially launched at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on October 30, 2009 on Verizon FiOS systems, becoming the first U.S. premium cable channel (not counting multiplex services of existing pay services) to debut since Liberty Media and Tele-Communications, Inc. launched Starz 15 years earlier on February 1, 1994. The first program to air on the channel was the film Iron Man, followed by the concert special Madonna Sticky & Sweet Tour: Live from Buenos Aires. Initially a single channel service, Epix was offered to subscribers of Verizon FiOS – which carried the channel for free during its debut weekend – for $9.99 per month (significantly less than the subscription rates of other premium channels, which normally range in price from $12.99 to $17.99 per month). Epix also provided customers – including those that were not Verizon FiOS subscribers – free previews of the online service each weekend through the end of November 2009, permitting access to the website's film content using invite codes given on a first come, first served basis.