Anthem Sports and Entertainment Corp (ASE), of Canada, has bought a majority stake in HDNet, owner of the AXS TV and HDNet Movies networks. AXS is a music and lifestyle channel which broadcasts live concerts and sporting events. It was originally founded as HDNet in 2001 by Mark Cuban who will continue to own shares in the business.
HDNet Movies claims to reach 12m homes providing films initially released via cinema. The deal will include AXS’s programming library including wrestling and MMA content. Anthem provides content across 120 countries covering sports and entertainment programming particularly focussed on millennials.
Post-acquisition, ASE expects to reach 150m homes worldwide, of which 110m are within the US and Canada; its brands include IMPACT wrestling, the IMPACT Plus mobile app, Fight Network. GameTV and Game+ along with the Pursuit Channel covering outdoor lifestyle hobbies. Terms were not disclosed.
ASE is a broadcasting and production company based in Toronto, and owned by Sygnus Corp and Fight Holdings Inc. It is a global media platform that owns and operates niche specialist TV and online for young men.
