Omar comin’! And he’s being joined by close talkers, dead parrots and the gang from Dog River.
With a monthly subscription fee of $4 – roughly the price of a latte, and lower than the fee for rivals Netflix and shomi – Bell Media formally unveiled its new streaming TV service, CraveTV, at a Toronto press conference.
CraveTV launches Dec. 11 with a catalogue comprised of more than 10,000 hours of content spanning more than 600 titles. More than 65% of the content is exclusive to the service, said Bell.
It is the latest entrant in a suddenly crowded streaming video space that also includes Netflix and shomi, a joint venture between Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications that debuted last month.
CraveTV’s program roster includes HBO’s entire off-air library, including iconic shows like The Sopranos and The Wire; a full comedy slate headed by the show about nothing, Seinfeld, and also including The Big Bang Theory, Cheers, Frasier and Corner Gas; and all 45 episodes of Monty Python’s Flying Circus.
Bell also said several shows, including Manhattan, Bosch and Deadbeat, would receive their Canadian premiere on the service. A key difference for CraveTV is the absence of movies and kids programming.
Saying the service “is about watching, not searching,” Bell has created what it describes as a “minimalist, easy-to-navigate” interface, with the ability to search programming through title, new addition or a specific collection such as “Crime and Mystery,” “Action & Adventure,” “Music” and “Classic TV.”
Confirmed distribution partners for Crave at launch include Eastlink, Telus Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Aliant FibreOP TV and Bell Satellite TV, with Northwestel and other members of the Canadian Cable Systems Alliance coming aboard.
It will be available via set-top box as well as iOS and Android handsets and tablets via the dedicated CraveTV app, and online as CraveTV.ca. Early next year, the service will be available on Xbox consoles, Windows 8, Windows Phone, Samsung Smart TVs and Chromecast.
Bell is planning a “massive” promotional campaign to launch the service, kicking off with an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon watching television. Beginning Dec. 8 at 1 p.m. six “Cravers” will move into a highly visible living space outside of Bell Media’s Queen St. headquarters in Toronto, where they will attempt to watch CraveTV programs for 91 consecutive hours, breaking the previous record of 90 hours.
