Pop the Champagne: CraveTV Celebrates Its One Year Anniversary Today!

– Anticipation builds as CraveTV gears up for direct-to-consumer launch in January – __________________________________________________________________________________

"CraveTV feels exciting and bingeworthy…" – Greg David, TV, eh?

 "CraveTV isn't messing around when it comes to feeding our seemingly insatiable appetite for all things television." – Daniel Malen, The TV Addict

"The strength of CraveTV's lineup is its deep catalogue of HBO titles." – Brad Oswald, Winnipeg Free Press 

To tweet this release: http://bmpr.ca/1Q7LaUd

TORONTO, Dec. 11, 2015 /CNW/ -  CraveTV™, Bell Media's preeminent streaming service, celebrates its one-year anniversary today, capping off an incredible 365 days of milestones. Over the past year, the premium TV streaming service has completed distribution deals with television providers across Canada, including Bell, Eastlink, and Telus; launched on new platforms including Apple TV and Chromecast; signed exclusive content deals for iconic HBO and SHOWTIME programming; obtained titles from every major Hollywood studio including, Warner Bros., Disney ABC, 20th Century Fox, SONY, CBS Studios, NBCUniversal and others; debuted exclusive first-run series including MANHATTAN, BOSCH, and HAPPYISH; and launched entire exclusive catalogues of timeless comedy franchises such as SOUTH PARK and SEINFELD. Earlier this year, CraveTV announced its first-ever original series LETTERKENNY, a six-part comedy based on the Youtube mega-hit Letterkenny Problems, which has clocked in more than 10 million views to date. LETTERKENNY premieres February 7 on CraveTV, a.k.a., Super Bowl Friggin' Sunday. In mid-January 2016, some of the best is yet to come when CraveTV becomes available to all Canadians with access to the Internet, featuring the highly anticipated, star-studded, high-stakes SHOWTIME drama BILLIONS. 

"Looking back on a remarkable first year, it was mission accomplished," said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, CTV Networks and CraveTV. "We're proud of the incredible CraveTV lineup and even prouder to see how many Canadians have signed on in our first year. We can't wait for the entire country to join us next month."

Below is a look at some of the highlights of the past year:

CraveTV's Most Popular Programming
With the breadth and depth of quality television programming available on CraveTV, some clear frontrunners have emerged, with subscribers revealing what they crave the most*:

• Most Popular Series: ENTOURAGE
• Favourite Drama: THE SOPRANOS
• Favourite Comedy: SOUTH PARK
• Favourite Canadian Series: ORPHAN BLACK
• Most-Binged Program: THE AFFAIR
• Biggest Single-Day Launch: Dec. 23, 2014, SEINFELD, "The Strike" (the "Festivus" episode)
• Favourite Documentary: THE SIXTIES
• Favourite Reality Program: GIGOLOS
• Fastest Series to 1,000,000 Views: SOUTH PARK
• Most Viewed Special: THE ROAST OF DONALD TRUMP

CraveTV Milestones
As CraveTV heads into its sophomore year, momentous milestones from Year One:

• Oct. 30, 2014: Bell Media announces it will launch new streaming service devoted to exceptional TV, codenamed "Project Latte"
• Nov. 5, 2014: Bell Media announces HBO's entire off-air library (titles like THE SOPRANOS, SEX AND THE CITY, ENTOURAGE) will be available on "Project Latte", along with the first distributors to sign on to deliver the service
• Nov. 10, 2014: Bell Media announces it has secured rights for the entire Monty Python collection for its "Project Latte" service
• Nov. 21, 2014: Bell Media announces landmark exclusive deal for the entire SEINFELD catalogue for its "Project Latte" service
• Nov. 24, 2014: Bell Media announces critically acclaimed Lionsgate drama MANHATTAN as the first exclusive series on its "Project Latte" service
• Dec. 11, 2014: CraveTV officially launches to consumers at $4/month
• Dec. 12, 2014: After 91 hours, CraveTV breaks Guinness Book of World Record for Longest TV-Watching Marathon
• Jan. 4, 2015: HBO's iconic drama THE WIRE debuts on CraveTV, digitally remastered and in High Definition
• Jan. 14, 2015: CraveTV acquires Amazon Studios' first original hour-long drama, BOSCH 
• Feb. 9, 2015: CraveTV announces exclusive content agreement with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution for series like HOMELAND and LEGENDS
• Feb. 23, 2015: CraveTV announces the launch of The SHOWTIME Collection, anchored by full seasons of renowned, award-winning SHOWTIME series including THE AFFAIR, RAY DONOVAN, PENNY DREADFUL, HOMELAND, UNITED STATES OF TARA, WEEDS, NURSE JACKIE, and more.
• March 5, 2016: CraveTV announces its first original production, the Canadian comedy series LETTERKENNY
• March 18, 2015: CraveTV extends its reach with four new distributors: Hay Communications, Mitchell Seaforth Cable TV, Tuckersmith Communications, and Wightman Telecom
• March 31, 2015: CraveTV announces that SHOWTIME series HAPPYISH will launch exclusively on the service
• May 5, 2015: CraveTV begins streaming on Apple TV
• May 7, 2015: CraveTV becomes first Canadian streaming service to offer Chromecast capability
• July 13, 2015: CraveTV announces it will become available direct to consumers in January 2016
• July 23, 2015: CraveTV partners with Samsung to make service available on Samsung Smart TVs and connected Blu-Rays
• July 1, 2015: Every episode of SOUTH PARK launches on CraveTV, in time for Canada Day
• August – November, 2015: New programming and curated collection announcements from CraveTV include: expansion of the HBO Collection with HBO documentary films like GOING CLEAR: SCIENTOLOGY AND THE PRISON OF BELIEF, PARADISE LOST, IN VOGUE: THE EDITOR'S EYE, and more; the launch of THE FLASH; the debut of THE ROYALS; the Halloween Collection; the Sports Collection; and the Holiday Collection.

• Nov. 9, 2015: CraveTV announces its first original production LETTERKENNY will premiere Super Bowl Sunday, February 7

CraveTV Social Media:
@CraveTVCanada
@CraveTV_PR
Facebook
Instagram

About CraveTV
Created for TV lovers and devoted to television, CraveTV is Canada's premium TV subscription on-demand video streaming service, providing the most robust lineup of superior television content in the country. From TV's most-acclaimed dramas and beloved comedies to documentaries, music, and factual programming, CraveTV features thousands of hours of premium non-kids TV programming, representing hundreds of unique titles including the entire off-air library of HBO's iconic programming catalogue and hundreds of hours of acclaimed SHOWTIME series and specials. CraveTV is currently available to customers of Eastlink, TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV, Bell Aliant FibreOP TV, Access Communications, Northwestel, SaskTel, Cable Cable, Nexicom, Hay Communications, Mitchell Seaforth Cable TV, Tuckersmith Communications, Wightman Telecom subscribers, NRTC Communications, WTC Communications, and Tbaytel. Available through traditional set-top boxes, mobile apps, the web, Apple TV, Chromecast, select Smart TVs and Microsoft Windows 8.1, CraveTV will soon be available via select game consoles. CraveTV is from Bell Media, Canada's premier multi-media company with more than a decade of leadership delivering Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed television programming across the Pay, Specialty, Digital, and Network TV landscapes. For more on CraveTV, visit www.CraveTV.ca.

*Based on number of views.

SOURCE CraveTV

please contact: Nicolle Balen, CraveTV, [email protected] or 416.384.4061