MONTREAL — Groupe V Média’s transformation of its MusiMax music channel into a specialty channel dedicated to popular TV shows and movies is almost complete, with its new Max network set to launch at the end of August.
“When we acquired MusiquePlus and MusiMax in 2014, it seemed quite obvious to us that there was no room in the Quebec market for two music channels. That’s why we decided to realign MusiMax,” Maxime Rémillard, president and CEO of Groupe V Média, said in a news release to announce the upcoming launch of the new Max specialty channel.
“We envisioned a channel that was bold, distinctive and refined with content that was complementary to the other Groupe V Média properties. And that’s how Max came about. After months of hard work putting together an outstanding product from every viewpoint, the entire team is proud and excited to be launching the newest family member on August 29,” Rémillard said. In addition to MusiquePlus and Max, Groupe V Média also owns the French-language V network and several digital platforms, such as the 25Stanley sports blog.
Groupe V Média offered a sneak peek of some of the new Max channel’s programming highlights ahead of the official launch of the network. Among the popular and award-winning TV series scheduled to air on Max are: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and currently nominated for 22 Emmy Awards; The X-Files tenth season miniseries, which will be followed by the best original episodes of The X-Files series; Chicago Med, a spinoff of Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D.; Lucifer, starring Tom Ellis and D.B. Woodside; and a couple of British television series, the award-winning detective series Happy Valley, and The Casual Vacancy miniseries based on J.K. Rowling’s novel of the same name. On the movie side, the premiere of Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild with Reese Witherspoon will air on Max, along with a number of award-winning, blockbuster films, Groupe V Média said, although an official list of scheduled movies was not announced in the news release.
Jacques Mathieu, general manager of content and media development for Groupe V Media, said Max will be a must for all TV series and movie fans, adding: “By tuning into Max, viewers can escape and be entertained watching the most popular series currently on air, movie premieres or classics of all genres. Max will present high-quality programming that will appeal to both male and female audiences. One thing is certain: there will be something for everyone on Max!”
A free preview of the Max channel will be offered from August 29 to September 25. The details of Max’s 2016-2017 programming schedule will be revealed at the Groupe V Média programming launch on August 23.
Developed in collaboration with Montreal’s Bob Agency, the visual style of the new Max brand image is modern and distinctive to reflect the channel’s refinement without turning away from its past focus on entertainment, Groupe V Média said in its news release. The network’s new advertising campaign for the 2016-2017 programming launch will be rolled out in the coming weeks and will be featured on billboards, television, in movie theatres and the web.
