If you’re a big fan of comics, pop culture and all things Comic-Con, then you’re likely to sign up for a new online streaming service making its debut later this year.
Lionsgate — think « The Hunger Games » and the « Divergent » films — announced Thursday that it is teaming up with Comic-Con International on a new subscription video-on-demand service that will be accessed online. No specific launch date has been set yet.
Although content for the new channel is still being worked out, it is expected to feature original short-form videos created exclusively for the channel’s subscribers, films and television series from Lionsgate and other studios that have appeal to Comic-Con’s fan base, as well as exclusive archived footage spanning Comic-Con’s 45-year history. The online service will also have exclusive access to the archives of the Con’s sister convention, WonderCon.
Comic-Con, which is coming to San Diego July 9-12, sells out every year, and this year is no exception. During an online sale earlier this year, badges sold out within an hour. Panels featuring actors from popular TV series and yet-to-debut films always draw huge lines of fans eager to see their favorite stars and directors.
Still unclear is whether a lot of those panels will be showcased on the new online channel. Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer said the two companies are still working on the programming.
« We’re still in the planning stages, » Glanzer said. « The field is wide open and we’re excited to see what we can do. Our mission statement is to promote comics and pop culture to a wider audience, and when they approached us they had an idea of how to to better fulfill that mission statement. Lionsgate understands the fan base very well, and this seems like an opportunity to better promote that. »
Although information on specific subscriber fees is not yet available, they will be competitive with similar services, said Lionsgate spokesman Peter Wilkes.
While the specifics about the content are still vague, Lionsgate did note that the joint effort will try to transform Comic-Con’s annual Independent Film Festival into a « 365-day-a-year online event. »
The alliance makes sense, given Comic-Con’s reputation as a draw for major film and TV studios. Last year, 17 of the top 20 North American box office films had a presence at the convention, along with cult TV favorites like « The Walking Dead » and « American Horror Story. »
« As a next generation studio, Lionsgate has grown up with Comic-Con, and their fans are our audiences, » said Lionsgate President of Interactive Ventures Games Peter Levin. « We’re excited by the opportunity to expand and enrich the world of Comic-Con for existing fans and extend it to a whole new global audience with a channel distinguished by its imaginative curation, depth and diversity of content and fierce loyalty to the Comic-Con brand. »