Lionsgate is taking a franchise-first approach to free, ad-supported streaming. The studio has partnered with LG Channels to launch dedicated FAST channels for The Hunger Games, Saw and John Wick in the U.S. and Canada through the end of the year. The move puts three of the studio’s most durable franchises into free, ad-supported channels built into LG smart TVs, making the library visible to viewers who are not paying for a Lionsgate subscription.
What’s on the slate
The rollout also includes Rookie Blue and Ghosts channels, a medical drama-themed channel called Pulse, and the Lionsgate Network, which will be programmed with the studio’s films and series. The centrepiece is a three-franchise push timed to specific windows:
- Hunger Games: five existing films, returning as a pop-up ahead of The Hunger Games: The Sunrise on the Reaping.
- Saw: the first standalone FAST channel for the franchise, with eight movies available in time for Halloween; Saw 11 is in development.
- John Wick: the first FAST run for the action series, with all four existing chapters; a fifth film is in the works.
Why the timing matters
LG is framing the channels as “curated, limited-time viewing events” around moments when the titles are most relevant, said Matthew Durgin, Vice President, Media Entertainment Services North America. That framing matters: the Saw channel lands in October, the Hunger Games channel returns ahead of a new theatrical release, and John Wick is positioned for the holidays.
For Lionsgate, each channel works as both a revenue line and a marketing asset. A Saw channel feeds Halloween demand while reminding audiences that Saw 11 is coming. A Hunger Games channel turns five catalogue films into sustained awareness for The Sunrise on the Reaping.
What it means for the business
FAST channels give rights holders a way to monetize deep libraries without asking viewers to subscribe. The trade-off for consumers is ad load; the benefit is free access and familiar, scheduled programming. For platforms such as LG Channels, franchise brands create appointment viewing and a clearer pitch to advertisers than generic movie channels.
For LG, the value is structural. FAST channels keep users inside the webOS environment, give advertisers addressable inventory, and differentiate the TV maker from rival smart-TV platforms. For Lionsgate, they create a low-friction sampling funnel: viewers can jump into an older John Wick or Saw film without a purchase, which can deepen demand for the next theatrical or PVOD release.
This is also a signal for media planners. These channels are being programmed around the same cultural moments advertisers already buy against: Halloween, the holidays and blockbuster release windows. That makes them context-rich CTV inventory, with the added advantage of reaching viewers who may not pay for premium SVOD services. A horror franchise channel in October is itself a contextual signal; a John Wick channel during the holidays reaches action viewers at a time when CTV consumption is high.
The bigger watch item is whether more studios follow Lionsgate’s lead and treat FAST as an owned audience channel rather than a licensing afterthought. If they do, distributor pitch decks will increasingly include seasonal franchise channels as a distinct screen, not just a content acquisition.
Source: Deadline
