Anthem Sports & Entertainment said it has agreed to buy Hollywood Suite, which owns and operates four linear TV channels in Canada.
The acquisition would double the number of channels Anthem offers to Canadian viewers.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Hollywood Suite’s linear networks show movies by decade, with an HS70s channel, an HS80s channel, an HS90s channel and an HS00s channel. It also has an on-demand offering.
The networks are available in about 10 million homes via distributors including Rogers Communications, Bell, Telus, Amazon Prime Video, Cogeco, Eastlink and Freedom Mobile.
Hollywood Suite will continue to be managed by its co-founder and president, David Kines.
“Anthem is focused on providing fresh and unique content offerings catering to a wide and diverse network of passionate fanbases, and the acquisition of Hollywood Suite helps us further that strategy in a major way,” Anthem founder and CEO Leonard Asper said. “They have a proven track record of success and have enjoyed incredible growth throughout the years, with a strong commitment to providing true movie lovers with wide-ranging offerings from some of cinema’s most consequential eras. We are proud to have them on board and we look forward to working closely with David and the Hollywood Suite team to help them reach even greater heights.”
Anthem currently distributes the Game TV, Games Plus, Fight Network and AXS TV channels in Canada.
The transaction is subject to regulatory approval by the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission.
“With a passion and commitment to movies as deep as ours, Anthem is the perfect partner for Hollywood Suite,” Kines said. “Leonard and his team have demonstrated an unparalleled commitment to supporting cinema and independent platforms like us, giving viewers and subscribers the absolute best in film-focused content.”
