Bell Media, Canada’s leading media company, announced today a landmark long-term and exclusive licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that makes Crave the home of programming from the Studio for years to come. The agreement also feeds CTV, CTV.ca, the CTV app, and Bell Media’s suite of Specialty channels with Warner Bros. Discovery’s iconic content.
The deal ranges across many parts of Warner Bros. Discovery’s vast portfolio including HBO and Max Originals; the DC universe; the Wizarding World of Harry Potter; new cable series; library television series; pay and post-pay window rights for Warner Bros. films; and library films.
French-language rights are secured for HBO and Max Originals, Pay 1 films, FRIENDS, the Harry Potter collection of films and other select content.
“We are thrilled to work with our partners at Warner Bros. Discovery to build upon our already strong relationship with this unprecedented agreement – a true landmark deal for the Canadian media industry,” said Karine Moses, Senior Vice-President, Content Development & News, and Vice Chair, Québec for Bell. “Bell Media is committed to providing Canadians with the most compelling content, and this deal, which secures the biggest titles on screens today, does just that.”
“Bell Media is one of our most important and long-standing partners,” said David Decker, President of Content Sales at Warner Bros. Discovery. “This new multi-year deal will ensure Canadians have full and easy access to our fan-favorite shows and movies and the spectacular new programming coming from HBO and Max. All of us at WBD are excited to deepen our relationship with Bell Media and look forward to exciting viewers in Canada for years to come.”
Further details about the licensing agreement are below:
- New Max Original programming comes to Crave, expanding on the licensing agreement announced in 2019. This includes the recently announced Harry Potter series, and titles from the DC Universe including the recently announced drama THE PENGUIN, starring Colin Farrell.
- Crave remains the exclusive Canadian home of new, current, and library HBO programming, including recently announced GAME OF THRONES prequel A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS: THE HEDGE NIGHT, drama series THE SYMPATHIZER, TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY, and THE REGIME, and returning fan-favourites including THE LAST OF US, HOUSE OF THE DRAGON, and THE WHITE LOTUS.
- The deal includes popular Warner Bros. library series such as FRIENDS and THE BIG BANG THEORY for Crave, CTV.ca, and the CTV app.
- Also announced as part of the deal is new Warner Bros. Discovery network and cable series and post-pay movies for CTV and the CTV channel portfolio.
- Bell Media’s pay and post-pay window rights for first-run feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures are extended. Films coming to Crave and CTV following their theatrical and home entertainment windows include THE FLASH, DUNE: PART TWO, MAGIC MIKE’S LAST DANCE, and SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS.
- Library films in the agreement include THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, the Harry Potter collection, Christopher Nolan’s BATMAN trilogy, GOODFELLAS, THE SHINING, THE DEPARTED, INCEPTION and more.
