New Streaming Channel

Criterion Channel streaming service to launch this April

The Criterion Channel

NICK ROMANO 

Of all the planned launches for various streaming platforms, from Disney+ to DC Universe Online, none seem more vital to the classic movie lover than the Criterion Channel.


The new online home for the Criterion Collection, following the demise of FilmStruck, now has an official launch date of April 8, 2019 for users in the U.S. and Canada, the platform announced Wednesday.

The Criterion Channel will be available to access via on desktop, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, iOS, and Android devices. Those who haven’t signed up already to become a Charter Subscriber can do so now and gain access to a 30-day free trial period beginning April 8, in addition to reduced pricing thereafter as long as the account stays active.

Users don’t have to wait till April to start using the service. The Criterion Channel’s Movie of the Week series features a new selection every Wednesday from now until launch.

WarnerMedia’s two-year baby FilmStruck was the previous destination for the Criterion Collection, consisting of more than 1,000 classic and contemporary films from around the world. The company closed the platform’s digital doors last October amid multiple closures against the WarnerMedia-AT&T merger. WarnerMedia also has plans to launch a new streaming platform, noting FilmStruck remained “largely a niche service.”

Following concerned feedback from cinephiles, the gatekeepers of Criterion decided to simply launch their own streaming service. It’s now up to all of those who denounced WarnerMedia’s decision to scrap FilmStruck to prove a destination such as this one isn’t “niche.” (In other words, sign up and watch!)

The Criterion Channel will also feature “constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies,” as well as Channel exclusives (including a guest programmer series) and a Sunday Spotlight that focuses on a different director, star, genre, or theme each week.