FilmStruck is dead. Long live The Criterion Channel.
In the wake of last fall’s shocking demise of FilmStruck (the now-defunct streaming service collaboration between Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection, which was shut down in a total blindside to subscribers when the new conglomerate Warner Media was formed), The Criterion Collection wasted no time in filling the gap of that devastatomg loss for cinephiles by forming The Criterion Channel.
This new streaming service — which officially debuts on Monday April 8 — will feature all Criterion content, selections from their deep library of art house and foreign films dating far back into film history all the way up to modern titles. This will also include many of the extras featured on the blu-ray releases, as well as new filmmaker interviews (teased in the latest promotional trailer, seen above).
As their press release states, the channel will boast “more than 1,000 feature films, 350 shorts, and 3,500 supplementary features including trailers, introductions, behind-the-scenes documentaries, interviews, video essays, commentary tracks, and rare archival footage.”
You can read their official press release here.
While this new service will no longer have the old Hollywood classics from the TCM library, The Criterion Channel remains an exciting venture for film aficionados, particularly with the kind of curated programming that will be featured on it each month (also teased in the trailer above).
It’s sort of a best-of-both-worlds: The Criterion Channel is not just a streaming service library (like Netflix) but also an actual channel with programming, all in one.
As noted in their official press release:
- “Films in the permanent streaming library will be continuously available to all Criterion Channel subscribers at all times, regardless of whether they are being spotlighted in thematic programming. Films licensed specifically for featured thematic programming may be available for shorter periods, but all films will be available for a minimum of ninety days unless otherwise noted.”
To read the full press release along with their first month’s daily programming schedule, click here. You can also follow The Criterion Channel on Twitter.
Pre-launch subscription discounts are currently available. You can sign up now at criterionchannel.com.
(Click on any image for larger gallery)
