On the same day that Lionsgate renamed Starzplay to Lionsgate+, MGM’s Epix announced that it, too, would receive a “+” in its brand name. The ad-free streaming service Epix announced today that it will relaunch in early 2023 as MGM+.
While the new name isn’t particularly creative (it’s mostly a plus sign), the rebranding comes as streaming services continue to adopt the names of their larger brands. Also, the timing of MGM’s announcement and Lionsgate’s announcement is unlikely to be coincidental. Lionsgate and Viacom previously owned Epix. MGM paid $1 billion for full control of Epix in 2017.