Lionsgate Sets Movie Output Licensing Pact With Roku Channel

Cynthia Littleton
·2-min read

Lionsgate has reached a movie licensing output pact deal with Roku Channel.

The deal calls for the channel on the digital streaming platform to share Lionsgate titles in the pay TV window with Starz, Lionsgate’s pay cabler. The deal covers such films as the “John Wick” franchise and “Expendables 4.” The titles will flow to Roku Channel after an initial pay 1 outing on Starz.

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“This agreement affirms the great demand for first-run studio movies across a broad array of platforms,” said Jim Packer, Lionsgate’s president of worldwide television distribution. “This partnership with The Roku Channel shows our ability to capitalize on opportunities in today’s complex television landscape with a multifaceted, layered approach that meets everyone’s needs.”

The Roku Channel is the gateway to Roku’s lineup of free movies and TV shows and more than 275 free live linear streaming channels in the U.S. The Roku service itself offers an MVPD-like array of pay and free streaming apps.

“We are pleased to expand our relationship with our longstanding partner Lionsgate to provide our audience with exclusive first-time, free access to Lionsgate’s theatrical slate,” said Rob Holmes, Roku’s vice president of programming. “This innovative approach creates value for both parties, and most importantly provides the millions of streamers on The Roku Channel with the opportunity to enjoy these compelling titles via this unique window.”

Other titles that will flow to Roku Channel in the deal including the new Nicolas Cage starrer “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” and the upcoming adaptation of the beloved Judy Blume novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”

(Pictured: “John Wick”)

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