Turner to Launch Streaming Service

Add Turner Classic Movies to the list of companies that are rolling out on-demand video streaming subscription services. TCM's service will include classic movie titles from the TCM libraray, as well as more contemporary film titles from the Criterion Collection. The service will be called FilmStruck and will launch sometime in the fall of 2016.

Among the movies that subscribers will have access to via the service are arty classics like Seven Samurai, Blood Simple, The Player, and Breaker Morant, along with more mainstream classics like Mad Max and the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.

The Criterion Collection includes even artier fare, including 12 Angry Men and Au revoir, les enfants. Prior to the TCM deal, Criterion's library had been available exclusively on Hulu.

FilmStruck will enter a streaming marketplace that's getting very crowded very quickly. Relative veteran services Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu are being challenged by new services being offered by a multitude of cable networks, studios and broadcast networks, including Starz, HBO, Showtime, Warner and CBS.

TCM has not yet announced the pricing for FilmStruck, but the company says its pricing will be competitive with that of other streaming services. Subscriptions for most other services fall into the range of $8 to $10 per month, and the battle for limited subscriber dollars is likely to be brutal as the streaming market becomes saturated with competing services.