Comcast confirmed that it will soon launch a new commercial-free, on-demand movie service called Hitz that will replace Cinemax in some channel packages.
On a landing page for Hitz, Comcast said the service will be available as part of Xfinity Premier, Super and certain other TV packages at no additional cost. Hitz will feature more than 200 movies. Cablefax originally reported on the launch of Hitz.
Not much information is available now regarding the programming lineup on Hitz, but Comcast said that the movies will come from a “variety of top studios,” and will rotate over time. The company is positioning Hitz as a better alternative to Cinemax.
“While Cinemax is being removed from these packages, we believe the new lineup offers a better value. Most of the movies on Cinemax have also aired on HBO. By offering Hitz instead, we’ll be delivering a better variety of content,” the company wrote.
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For Xfinity subscribers still looking to get Cinemax for its original content, Comcast is still selling $12-per-month subscriptions to the premium channel.
AT&T, which owns Cinemax parent company WarnerMedia, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For AT&T, the Comcast decision to replace Cinemax with Hitz marks a second significant lapse in pay TV provider coverage for Cinemax. The premium network, along with HBO, has not been available to Dish Network and Sling TV subscribers since November 2018.