Epix, an HD PPV and online streaming channel owned by Lionsgate, MGM and Paramount Studios — tapped last winter for Cox cable subs in south central and southwest Virginia — is now up and running. Cox also added some more HD channels to the markets.
On April 1, Cox began offering the PPV option in Roanoke (DMA 67) and Hampton Roads (DMA 43), with access to both Epix and Vutopia (the latter an upstart a new PPV service). Epix is providing Cox subs a catalog of about 15,000 titles. Some include fairly new films in HD from the three owners-studios such as "Star Trek" and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra."
Aside from PPV, Epix is also being made available to proprietary-tier customers as a stand-alone, fulltime option on a monthly basis ($12), as is Vutopia ($10).
Cox is expanding its HD line-up in both Virginia markets to include Disney XD HD, Hallmark HD, ESPN U HD, ESPN News HD, and NBA TV HD.
Cox is the third-largest cabler in the United States, behind Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
