Cinedigm Buys Vintage Network The Film Detective

Cinedigm Corp. has agreed to buy classic film-television specialist The Film Detective for an undisclosed price.

Cinedigm announced the transaction Monday. The U.S.-based company said the deal will give it the Film Detective library, comprised of 3,000 content titles, an estimated 10,000 individual film and TV episodes. Cinedigm will also gain The Film Detective movie streaming channel and Lone Star, a channel specializing in Westerns, along with being able to license 1,000 additional movies.

Since launching in 2014, The Film Detective has distributed its library through Turner Classic Movies, NBC’s Cozi TV, EPIX, Pluto TV, Amazon, MeTV and PBS. The Film Detective will continue to operate independently under the leadership of Philip Hopkins, founder and chief executive officer. Hopkins will assume the new title of president of The Film Detective.

“Phil Hopkins has been a leading long-term industry champion for independent film and TV content, particularly classic programming, building The Film Detective into a content powerhouse,” said Chris McGurk, Cinedigm chairman and CEO. “In addition, he has proved to be an aggressive innovator in the explosively growing streaming business.”

“We are very proud to welcome Phil and The Film Detective to the Cinedigm family and look forward to Phil’s continued strong leadership as we grow the business together,” McGurk added. “The Film Detective’s library is currently profitable, and with synergies and expanded distribution we believe we can quickly and significantly increase both revenues and profits from both the library and The Film Detective’s two streaming channels.”

Cinedigm distributes film and TV content to more than 70 digital platforms in more than 180 territories. Branded content includes co-productions in the action, western and military genres along with family content (Hallmark, ZDF), anime (Konami Cross Media) and sports programs (NFL, NHL).