Epix, the premium movie channel owned by companies including Viacom, has signed its first national distribution deal with Dish Network.
Dish’s 14.1 million customers will be able to subscribe to Epix, including online and on-demand access to films such as “Star Trek,” starting this month, the channel said Monday in a statement.
Englewood-based Dish said customers who subscribe to the satellite-TV service’s $10-a-month high-definition service will receive a Platinum HD package that includes Epix for no additional charge.
The agreement expands Epix’s distribution deals to six since the pay channel started in October, allowing it to reach 30 million homes by May. Viacom, Lions Gate Entertainment and Metro-Gold wyn-Mayer created Epix after failing to renew agreements with Showtime.
“It will still take more distribution and viewers subscribing to the premium movie tier for a couple of years before breakeven,” said David Joyce, an analyst at Miller Tabak & Co. in New York, in an e-mail. Bloomberg News
