Bell to launch new on-demand services, content hub

BCE Inc. will launch two new ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) services, rebrand its entertainment specialty channels and centralize its content portfolio under one digital roof. The company said in a Thursday press release that it is partnering with Sony Corp. to bring all new free content to the AVOD services, dubbed CTV Movies and CTV Vault. The former will feature movies from all genres, including such titles as Spider-Man and Men in Black, while the latter will include popular TV series, such as Community. The content will be exclusive from Bell’s other entertainment channels, Bell Media spokesman Scott Henderson confirmed over the phone. Bell promises “thousands of hours” of content, which will be refreshed weekly, the release said. Henderson said the company will seek opportunities to partner with other studios. Earlier this year, a conference heard about the growth of AVODs as over-the-top (OTT) services continued to increase their market share. Bell’s new services will be available in the fourth quarter this year, after which the company will rollout a newly-branded line-up of existing entertainment channels. That means Space, Bravo, Comedy, and Gusto will become CTV Sci-Fi, CTV Drama, CTV Comedy, and CTV Life. Those channels, including the AVODs, will be housed under one central “superhub.” Some content on the hub will require Bell subscriber authentication, but the AVODs will not. The company said in the release will make it sponsor-friendly, discoverable, and increase opportunities for advertisers to reach their audiences. The super-hub will be available on connected devices, the release said, including the web, Apple Inc.'s iOS, Apple TV, and Alphabet Inc.'s Android, Chromecast, and Android TV, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox One, and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. smart TVs. "In today's crowded media landscape, it's essential for our services to have the same scale and brand ubiquity as our international competitors," Randy Lennox, president of Bell Media, said in the release. "As a result we're focusing and amplifying CTV so that it is stronger than ever."

Bell to launch new on-demand services, content hub

Brief | June 7, 2018

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Bell to launch new on-demand services, content hub

Brief | June 7, 2018

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