Cinemax Adds 100 On-Demand Hours

Cinemax On Demand is expanding its programming lineup from 50 hours per month to 150.

Affiliate Cablevision Systems Corp. is the first cable operator to agree to carry the new MaxOD150 on its on-demand servers.

MaxOD150 is now available to Cablevision’s iO: Interactive Optimum subscribers for $4.95 per month if they subscribe to Cinemax’s suite of traditional premium channels.

“We had a 20-hour model and a 50-hour model, but we’ve been champing at the bit right from day one to add more programming,” said Home Box Office Inc. executive vice president of program planning Dave Baldwin of Cinemax On Demand.

Cinemax said it will add five subcategories to MaxOD150: ActionMax, made up of action films; 5 Star Max, made up of hit movies and classic titles; WMax, movies that appeal to women; ThrillerMax, including mystery, suspense, thriller and horror films, and Indie Cinema, made up of independent films. Those subcategories mirror the genres in Cinemax’s plex channels, Baldwin said.

He said HBO and Cinemax’s movie inventory has become so large, “we can fully stock both services with top-end movies.”

Among the films set for MaxOD150 in the second quarter: Miss Congeniality 2, Kingdom of Heaven, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Million Dollar Baby, Hide & Seek, House of Wax, The Upside of Anger and War of the Worlds.