New year, new look! EPIX changed its name to MGM+ earlier this month — but the platform’s impressive roster of shows and movies remains.
The MGM-owned cable network and streaming service announced in September 2022 that it would take its parent company’s moniker after Amazon’s $8.5 billion acquisition of MGM that year.
“We have felt for some time that this is the best service that many people have never heard of,” head of MGM+ Michael Wright — who was president of EPIX since 2017 — said at the time. “Other than individual shows, the service has never been marketed. Now you have this incredibly powerful, loud name that means something to people. You could spend five years and $100 million trying to launch a new brand, and you wouldn’t have the brand equity that you get with MGM. It’s really something of a gift.”
Wright noted that the platform holds “a hybrid space” between streaming and traditional cable programming. “We are a linear service as well as a digital service,” he said, adding that MGM+ will continue to be “a celebration of the MGM brand” while still “acquiring films from other studios.”
EPIX officially made the switch to its new name on January 15. Along with original series, subscribers will have access to a wide range of classic films and new favorites including No Time to Die, House of Gucci and Licorice Pizza. The original Rocky movie and its sequels will also be housed on the platform, as well as Silence of the Lambs, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Magnificent Seven and more.
The MGM+ era kicked off with the season 3 premiere of Godfather of Harlem, a gangster drama that previously broke records for the network. The show features Forest Whitaker, Giancarlo Esposito, Lucy Fry and Demi Singleton. Guest star Whoopi Goldberg returns after joining for season 2 in 2021.
Earlier this month, Wright highlighted the “quantity, quality and value” of MGM+ content during a conversation with Variety. “People don’t realize how many original series have now populated the service,” he said. “And it’s a new and even more robust library featuring a lot of the MGM classics, but other studio films as well … You know MGM, you love MGM. What a gift that we have that name, but we still have an obligation to surprise you with our storytelling, even in the context of this brand that we’re trying to deliver on.”
The exec stated that the company is “always trying to stay a step ahead” in the fast-paced business, joking that EPIX was “the best entertainment service that nobody ever heard of.” Looking at the year ahead, Wright predicted that fans will see some big changes in the ways they consume movies and TV.
“I think it’s a transitional year,” he told the outlet. “I think creating strong identities for your service — What is this service? What makes us different or distinguishes us from others? — is an ongoing story. And I think we’re in a transitional year about how success is measured.”
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