![]() Logo used since 2022 | |
Country | Canada |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Nationwide[1] |
Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 480i (SDTV) |
Ownership | |
Owner | Bell Media Lionsgate (through Starz Inc.) (branding and name) |
Sister channels | Crave Super Écran |
History | |
Launched | October 1, 1994 |
Replaced | Encore Avenue (Western Canada; 2016) |
Former names | TMN Moviepix (1994–1996) Moviepix (1996–2003) Mpix (2003–2012) The Movie Network Encore (2012–2019) |
Links | |
Website | starz.ca |
Availability | |
Streaming media | |
Amazon Prime Channels | Over-the-top TV |
Apple TV Channels | Over-the-top TV |
Crave | Over-the-top TV |
Starz is a Canadian English language premium television network owned by Bell Media.
The channel launched in 1994 as TMN Moviepix, a sister service to The Movie Network (now the Crave pay TV network) carrying classic films; it carried this format under various names including Mpix and The Movie Network Encore. Under its current name and format launched in March 2019, the network also broadcasts select original programming from the U.S.-based Starz premium channel, pursuant to a partnership between Bell Media and Starz Inc. parent company Lionsgate announced in early 2018.[2][3]
Starz is carried by various Canadian cable and satellite television providers, including Bell Satellite TV, Shaw Direct, Rogers Cable, Vidéotron, EastLink, Shaw, Telus and Cogeco; since the 2019 relaunch it has also been available on a direct-to-consumer basis as an addon to the Crave streaming service, as well as through Amazon Prime Video Channels and Apple TV Channels. Similarly to TMN/Crave, TMN Encore operated only in provinces east of the Ontario-Manitoba border until 2016, with Western Canada served by a similar service run by Movie Central known as Encore Avenue. With the shutdown of both services in 2016, Encore/Starz has since served the entirety of Canada.