Lionsgate And Debmar-Mercury Launch MovieSphere Gold, An All-Movie Diginet Reaching 30M Homes

Lionsgate and subsidiary Debmar-Mercury have teamed to launch MovieSphere Gold, an all-movie digital network available in more than 30 million households.

Digital networks, or “diginets,” are also referred to as multicast networks. They first appeared on the scene decades ago, during the conversion to high-definition television. Networks like Bounce, Antenna and dozens of others were created as low-cost ways to take advantage of the excess capacity of linear TV’s digital era. The state of flux in traditional cable is such that eight of the top 50 entertainment networks in linear television are now diginets, the companies said, and total revenue in the sector is in the billions of dollars.

Lionsgate’s Worldwide Television Distribution Group and Debmar-Mercury say MovieSphere is unique in the multicast space given its lineup consisting only of contemporary films. Lionsgate’s 20,000-title film and TV library includes franchises like John Wick, Hunger Games and Expendables. Titles airing on the network in December include Dirty Dancing, Rambo, Kick Ass and The Shack.

The network is available on DirecTV, Dish, Sling Freestream, streaming pay bundle Frndly (now owned by Roku), and local station groups reaching more than 80% of U.S. TV households. The English-language channel is also carried in Univision’s digital lineup.

The launch comes several months after Lionsgate renewed its pay-1 movie deal with Starz. The premium network and streamer separated from Lionsgate earlier this year and is now its own company.

Debmar-Mercury, acquired by Lionsgate back in 2006, is known for producing and distributing syndicated TV titles like Sherri. Its roster has also included The Wendy Williams Show and Family Feud.

“MovieSphere Gold offers us the rare opportunity to enter into an area of television – digital broadcasting – that is growing year over year,” Debmar-Mercury Co-Presidents Ira Bernstein and Mort Marcus said in a joint statement. “And because of the massive size and quality of the Lionsgate film library, this now gives us the unique ability to pivot to the titles that perform best with viewers.”

In its most recent quarterly earnings report, Lionsgate said its trailing 12-month revenue from its library hit a record $1 billion, up 13% from the same period in the prior year.

“MovieSphere Gold represents the next evolution in multicast entertainment,” said Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution for Lionsgate. “This new digital network gives audiences access to acclaimed titles that were previously unavailable in this space, offering a richer, more diverse selection of films than ever before.”

CBS Media Ventures is handling national ad sales for MovieSphere Gold.