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TMN Go launches on iOS and the web, brings HBO Go-style experience to Canadians

While viewers in the US have had access to HBO Go streaming on a varying number of platforms over the last few years, the licensing situation in Canada has, until now, made it more complicated. That's changing today, since Astral Media is bringing its The Movie Network Go app for iOS and PCs out of beta (an Android version is "in the works and launching shortly") with access to movies from many studios, as well as TV shows from HBO, Cinemax and Showtime. In Canada, Astral airs content licensed from our US premium networks as well as some Canadian productions and airs them on its five multiplex channels, including HBO Canada.

Some providers have already been streaming content online with setups like Rogers On Demand Online and Videotron's Illico, but hopefully this should make the feature more widespread. Currently it's open to customers on Bell Fiber / Satellite TV and Cogeco Cable, with Rogers due "in the coming weeks." Specific features announced include streaming over WiFi or 3G, playback state that syncs across devices, up to three simultaneous streams and five registered devices per account and more. Check out the press release after the break for all the details and a list of some of the available content.

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Ready, Set, The Movie Network GO! - New Video Streaming Service Gives Subscribers Access to The Movie Network, HBO Canada and TMN Encore from their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC Whenever, Wherever
TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral's The Movie Network today announced the launch of The Movie Network GO (TMN GO), HBO GO Canada and TMN Encore GO, three new video streaming services that put more than 1,500 hours of high-definition quality programming from The Movie Network, HBO Canada and The Movie Network Encore (TMN Encore) at subscribers' fingertips. Available at no additional cost with a subscription to The Movie Network and TMN Encore, TMN GO offers instant and unlimited access to more than 1,200 titles comprised of Hollywood hit movies, exclusive series from HBO, CINEMAX and Showtime, and classics from every era. With the launch of TMN GO, subscribers can now watch what they want, when they want, where they want from their iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC. TMN GO is currently available in Eastern Canada to customers of Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV and Cogeco Cable, with Rogers launching the service in the coming weeks and additional television providers expected to join shortly thereafter.

"TMN GO with HBO GO Canada and TMN Encore GO are extensions of Astral's commitment to providing Canadians with unparalleled premium content across multiple platforms," said Domenic Vivolo, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Astral Television Networks. "TMN was the first movie service in Canada to offer a dedicated HD channel with TMN HD, the first in Canada to launch an SVOD service with TMN OnDemand, and the first in North America to offer subscribers an authenticated broadband streaming service with TMN OnLine. TMN GO is the latest such innovation from Astral and TMN and we believe it will be a game changer for our business - providing subscribers with a value and entertainment proposition that represents the ultimate in choice, control and convenience."

With a sleek cinematic design and interface that offers superior functionality, TMN GO, HBO GO Canada and TMN Encore GO are best-in-class services that allow subscribers to engage with over 1,200 titles and 1,500 hours of premium content. TMN GO, HBO GO Canada and TMN Encore GO can all be accessed at www.tmngo.ca or by downloading the TMN GO App from the App Store. Key features of the service include:

Pick-up-and-play technology which allows users to start watching on one device and continue on another;
The Watchlist function which lets users keep up with their favourite series throughout the run. Once a series is added to the Watchlist, new episodes are automatically added and the user is notified when they are available. Upcoming movie titles can also be tracked and added to the Watchlist, with reminder notices when the title is available;
Parental controls which allow users to manage the content that family members of every age have access to;
Social networking functionality that enables users to share and like favourite titles instantly with friends over Facebook, Twitter and email;
Multiple members of the household can enjoy the service with up to three simultaneous streams and five registered devices per subscriber household, each with their own Watchlist;
The ability to stream over WiFi and 3G (or above) networks, allowing users to manage their data consumption;
Adaptive streaming which automatically switches video quality to ensure the best viewing experience available based on the user's Internet connection.
Video quality control which gives users control over video quality, allowing them to further control their bandwidth consumption.
TMN GO's selection mirrors the programming offering from The Movie Network OnDemand, HBO Canada OnDemand and TMN Encore OnDemand, with new content refreshed weekly. TMN GO will also be home to new, never-before-seen bonus material and content such as an exclusive collection of four short digital HBO comedies - The Boring Life of Jacqueline, Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!, Garfunkel and Oates, and Single Long - from the likes of Zach Galifianakis and Mike White.

At the time of launch, programming available on TMN GO includes hit series, movies, sports programming and documentaries from HBO including full seasons and current episodes of Game of Thrones, Girls, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire, Eastbound & Down, Enlightened, The Newsroom, Real Time with Bill Maher, Treme and VEEP; all seasons and episodes of HBO's genre-defining Band of Brothers, The Sopranos and The Wire; HBO films and documentaries such as Beyoncé: Life is But A Dream, In Vogue: The Editor's Eye, Game Change and The Girl; CINEMAX series such as Banshee and Hunted; acclaimed Showtime series such as Californication, Dexter, House of Lies, Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States, Nurse Jackie and Shameless; hit Starz series Spartacus: Vengeance and Spartacus: War of the Damned; Hollywood hit movies and family favourites such as The Artist, Battleship, Conan The Barbarian, Dolphin Tale, Drive, Fast Five, The Five Year Engagement, Goon, Happy Feet Two, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, The Ides of March, The Lucky One, Moneyball, Mirror, Mirror, The Muppets, Snow White and The Huntsman, That's My Boy, The Vow, Wanderlust and War Horse; acclaimed, award-winning Canadian series and movies like Barney's Version, Call Me Fitz, The Captains, The Crimson Petal & The White, Funny As Hell, Good God, Goon, Less Than Kind, Monsieur Lazhar, Starbuck, Transporter: The Series, The Whistleblower, and many more; and hundreds of classic movies from every era and genre offered by The Movie Network Encore such as Bad Boys, The English Patient, Jaws, Life Is Beautiful, Out of Sight, The Sting, To Kill a Mockingbird, True Romance and many more.

TMN GO is supported by the iPhone 3GS and subsequent models, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation) and the iPad and iPad Mini (running iOS 5.0 or higher).

The TMN GO App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.AppStore.com/TMNGO.

The Movie Network is a pay television service available in eastern Canada. With premiere access to Hollywood hit movies, new and exclusive HBO content, critically acclaimed Showtime series and first-rate Canadian programming, this pay-television service presents Canadians with some of the best television entertainment available. The Movie Network service includes five 24-hour multiplex channels - The Movie Network, HBO Canada, MExcess, MFun! and MFest - which deliver diverse and entertaining programs in an uncut and commercial-free television environment. All five multiplex channels are also simulcast in High Definition and are joined by The Movie Network OnDemand, a Subscription Video On Demand (SVOD) service, available in select areas across eastern Canada; TMN OnLine an Internet-based content streaming service available to BellTV, Rogers and Videotron subscribers; and TMN GO, a video streaming service currently available to Bell TV and Cogeco Cable subscribers. For more information, please visit www.themovienetwork.ca.

TMN GO and The Movie Network are members of the Astral family. Astral Media Inc. (TSX:ACM.A/ACM.B) is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and interactive media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

SOURCE: THE MOVIE NETWORK