After deciding last month to shutter classic film-focused streaming service FilmStruck, AT&T’s WarnerMedia appears to not have abandoned fans of the niche service after all.
The company announced Friday that a new direct-to-consumer streaming service called the Criterion Channel will launch next spring, and also be part of WarnerMedia’s larger streaming service slated to debut next year.
“The Criterion Channel will be picking up where FilmStruck left off, with thematic programming, regular filmmaker spotlights, and actor retrospectives, featuring major classics and hard-to-find discoveries from Hollywood and around the world, complete with special features like commentaries, behind-the-scenes footage and original documentaries,” WarnerMedia said in the announcement.
The service will feature the Criterion Collection of films as well as content from the WarnerMedia library.
While plans for the free-standing Criterion Channel may have already been in the works, the announcement came following pushback from a number of Hollywood filmmakers.
The service will cost $11 per month or $100 per year, following a 30-day free trial.