Lionsgate and LG launch free Hunger Games, John Wick and Saw channels
John Wick, The Hunger Games and Saw are getting free channels of their own.
Lionsgate has teamed with LG Channels to launch dedicated FAST channels, meaning free linear-style streams supported by adverts, for the three franchises in the United States and Canada, as reported by Deadline. The three franchise channels will roll out through the end of the year.
It is the first time John Wick has appeared on FAST. All four existing chapters will stream on the channel. A fifth John Wick film is in the works.
The Hunger Games channel is a return. LG Channels previously ran the franchise as a pop-up channel. This full version will carry the five existing Hunger Games films. It arrives ahead of the theatrical release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
Saw gets its own standalone channel for the first time. Eight Saw films will be available. The timing is built for Halloween, and a new film, Saw 11, is in development.
The deal goes beyond the big three. Lionsgate and LG will also launch FAST channels for Rookie Blue, the Canadian police drama, and Ghosts, the supernatural comedy.
Two broader channels are part of the plan. Pulse will focus on medical dramas. The Lionsgate Network will draw on the studio's wider library of films and series.
For viewers, this means no subscription is needed. Anyone with LG Channels can drop in and watch a franchise marathon already in progress, much like traditional television.
The launches give Lionsgate another window for its best-known titles. Old films can find new viewers before new cinema releases arrive, while LG adds recognisable names to its free offering.
