In its Q4 2018 earnings report, national carrier BCE reported that its Crave streaming video platform now has 2.3 million subscribers.
This number is exactly one million more subscribers than the over-the-top (OTT) streaming service reported back in Q4 2017.
It’s likely that Crave’s rebranding and the recent launch of an additional subscription tier that includes current HBO content, played a role in the increase.
Canadians are now able to stream episodes of award-winning TV shows like Game of Thrones through the platform without a traditional cable subscription.
Bell said its operating revenue for its media division grew 1.9 percent in the quarter to $850 million CAD and that was “due to advertising revenue growth in entertainment and sports specialty TV, conventional TV, outdoor advertising and digital media.”
The company noted in its results that “subscriber revenue was essentially flat compared to Q4 2017.”
Crave is also now carried by all major Canadian broadcast TV distributors.
Bell’s CEO George Cope also welcomed news that its media division is partnering with Starz, the U.S.-based premium cable and satellite TV network.
It plans to replace the former TMN Encore and as part of the expanded Crave streaming service on March 1st.
The following week, Starz will be available to all Canadians with access to the internet as an add-on to Crave for $5.99 per month. Customers will be able to access Starz through the Crave app on iOS and Android and 4th-generation Apple TV.
