Movie Network
Encyclopedia
Movie Network Channels is an Australia
n premium television movie service that consists of five original channels (Movie One, Movie Extra, Movie Greats, Family Movie Channel, Starpics 1), two SD timeshifts (Movie Two, Starpics 2) and three HD simulcasts (Movie One HD, Starpics 1 HD, Starpics 2 HD). Its main competitor is Showtime. Movie Network channels were originally only available through Optus TV, who produced and part-owned the channels prior to January 1, 2000.
Through content sharing agreements, Movie Network Channels became available through Austar
in January 1999 and Foxtel
in December 2002. Movie Network is also available on Neighbourhood Cable
, SelecTV and TransACT
. The channels are owned, operated and programmed by Time Warner
, Disney-ABC International Television
, MGM and Village Roadshow. In addition to films from these studios, the network also has access to films from DreamWorks
and Australian distributor Hopscotch Films.
On November 15, 2009, the network expanded with three additional (including 1 timeshift) channels and 3 HD simulcasts (including 1 timeshift). In addition, a new website was launched and a unified slogan for the overall network - "All Together Better!".
From 2009, Movie Extra will be the naming rights sponsor for the Tropfest
short film festival.
, Five Days
, Dirt
& The L Word
. Movies that air on this channel are mainly from the late 90s and early 2000s.
The 3 channels are Movie Action, Movie Comedy, and Movie Drama. Content is often changed and is exclusive to the Foxtel download service.
with movies from the Movie Network's partner studios. The service offers a new movie each day, with instant access to 30 movies at any given time and the ability to pause, re-wind, fast forward and repeat view for up to 30 days.
The movies are included as part of the FetchTV basic subscription package, and show on a customer's TV via the FetchTV set top box.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n premium television movie service that consists of five original channels (Movie One, Movie Extra, Movie Greats, Family Movie Channel, Starpics 1), two SD timeshifts (Movie Two, Starpics 2) and three HD simulcasts (Movie One HD, Starpics 1 HD, Starpics 2 HD). Its main competitor is Showtime. Movie Network channels were originally only available through Optus TV, who produced and part-owned the channels prior to January 1, 2000.
Through content sharing agreements, Movie Network Channels became available through Austar
Austar
Austar is an Australian telecommunications company. Its main business activity is Subscription Television but it is also involved with internet access and mobile phones...
in January 1999 and Foxtel
Foxtel
Foxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
in December 2002. Movie Network is also available on Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable
Neighbourhood Cable is a telecommunications provider based in regional Victoria, Australia . Neighbourhood Cable owns and operates Hybrid Fibre Coaxial cable networks in three Victorian regional cities:* Mildura* Ballarat* Geelong...
, SelecTV and TransACT
TransACT
TransACT Capital Communications is an Australian telecommunications company based in Canberra which provides broadband internet access, fixed telephony, cable television services, and mobile phone services in Canberra and a subset of these services in Queanbeyan, throughout South-east New South...
. The channels are owned, operated and programmed by Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
, Disney-ABC International Television
Disney-ABC International Television
Disney-ABC International Television is responsible for The Walt Disney Company's branded and non-branded filmed entertainment distribution, now distributing more than 30,000 hours of content to over 1300 broadcasters across 240 territories worldwide.The television distributor licenses movies from...
, MGM and Village Roadshow. In addition to films from these studios, the network also has access to films from DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
and Australian distributor Hopscotch Films.
On November 15, 2009, the network expanded with three additional (including 1 timeshift) channels and 3 HD simulcasts (including 1 timeshift). In addition, a new website was launched and a unified slogan for the overall network - "All Together Better!".
From 2009, Movie Extra will be the naming rights sponsor for the Tropfest
Tropfest
Tropfest is the world's largest short film festival.Tropfest began in 1993 as a screening for 200 people in a cafe in Sydney but has since become the largest platform for short films in the world. Tropfest Australia takes place in February each year in front of a live audience of approximately...
short film festival.
Channels
Movies are typically shown for a year, and may appear on any of the network's channels during its run.Movie One
Movie One is the network's premiere channel for blockbusters from studios such as Warner Bros.,Disney, ABC International Television, MGM, Village Roadshow and Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks SKG plus an array of independent studios and launched 20 September 1995. Prior to September 7, 1997 this channel was named The Movie Network. Movie One (along with timeshift service, Movie Two) also offers a free interactive movie service called Redspace. Every month Redspace allows digital viewers to play a quiz, read facts about the movie or watch video packages such as behind-the-scenes, interviews and other features. Movies that air on this channel are released 2005-onwards. An HD simulcast launched in November 15, 2009.Movie Two
Movie Two is the timeshift service of Movie One where it broadcasts Movie One with a two hour delay and launched 2004.Movie Extra
Movie Extra launched on September 7, 1997. The channel shows a mix of international and Australian films along with premieres of edgier films and documentaries. More recently the channel has started screening American or British television series such as Mad MenMad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
, Five Days
Five Days
Five Days is a British dramatic television series produced by the BBC in association with Home Box Office . The first series was first broadcast on BBC One from 23 January to 1 February 2007, and repeated on BBC Four from 9 April to 13 April 2007....
, Dirt
Dirt (TV series)
Dirt is an American television serial broadcast on the FX network. It premiered on January 2, 2007 and starred Courteney Cox as Lucy Spiller, the editor-in-chief of the first-of-its-kind "glossy tabloid" magazine DirtNow, which was previously two separate publications: drrt and Now Dirt (styled...
& The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
. Movies that air on this channel are mainly from the late 90s and early 2000s.
Movie Greats
Movie Greats shows films from the back catalogues of the studios. Often there are theme months, or marathons of movies. Classic movies are shown on this channel, which ranges from between the 1930s up until the mid 1990s and launched 20 September 1995. The channel adopted the slogan "Movies that move you" on from November 15, 2009.Family Movie Channel
Family Movie Channel is dedicated to Family Movies and was launched on November 15, 2009. The channel shows movie rated G and PG, along with "light" M rated movies. Premieres will be on Saturday evenings.STARPICS
Starpics is dedicated to double features of movies starring the same person. It has the slogan "Movies you know, actors you love", and launched on November 15, 2009. The channel has a timeshift channel, with both having HD simulcasts.Download Channels for Foxtel subscribers
Foxtel subscribers to Movie Network channels are able to download movies to their Windows PC from 3 download channels.The 3 channels are Movie Action, Movie Comedy, and Movie Drama. Content is often changed and is exclusive to the Foxtel download service.
MovieBox on FetchTV
In June 2010, the Movie Network launched MovieBox, a subscription on-demand movie service for FetchTVFetchTV (Australia)
FetchTV is an Australian IPTV company, operating a subscription television service over a user's regular Internet service. It provides a Set Top Box with Personal Video Recorder for recording from Free-to-Air channels - and adds regular subscription channels, radio, Video on Demand, Pay per view,...
with movies from the Movie Network's partner studios. The service offers a new movie each day, with instant access to 30 movies at any given time and the ability to pause, re-wind, fast forward and repeat view for up to 30 days.
The movies are included as part of the FetchTV basic subscription package, and show on a customer's TV via the FetchTV set top box.