HBO coming to Canada

[Basher]

Finally. Now who's got my heady TNT and ESPN?

HBO coming to Canada in October

Sep 23, 2008 09:25 AM

ROB SALEM

Even as AMC, FX and Showtime threaten to usurp the waning status of formerly formidable HBO (Emmy winners Recount and John Adams notwithstanding), we here in Canada will get our own version, courtesy of Astral's Movie Network, creatively entitled HBO Canada and launching in October.

It would be easy to dismiss this as a mere "rebranding" of one of the five existing TMN channels, given their ongoing exclusive agreement to simulcast the major HBO original series and films.

But now we humble Canadian cousins will be able to access all the unique HBO supplementary specials, sports and concert events, over 200 library titles, from Oz to Angels in America ... and even previously aired homegrown hits like Terminal City and Durham County.

Like TMN, HBO Canada will be required to devote about 25 per cent of its air time to Canadian content.

[bouche]

i'll bet that Videotron won't carry it.