MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Now Streaming As CraveTV™ Officially Launches

– In a licensing agreement with The Disney/ABC Television group, last season's #1 new television series comes exclusively to Canada's premium TV streaming service –
– CraveTV available now for Eastlink, TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV, and Bell Aliant FibreOP TV subscribers –

"…a true television marvel." – Los Angeles Times

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TORONTO, Dec. 11, 2014 /CNW/ - With Canada's premium TV streaming service CraveTV^TM now live, Bell Media announced today it has entered into a licensing agreement with The Disney/ABC Television Group that will make CraveTV the exclusive SVOD home in Canada for the hit TV series MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. The #1 new television series of 2013/14, Season 1 of the blockbuster hit drama will immediately be available today in the Superhero, Action & Adventure collection on CraveTV. New episodes of the series will also become available following the completion of each subsequent season. MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is the latest premium TV series confirmed for CraveTV, which is now available on set-top box, apps, and CraveTV.ca for just $4/month.

**Media Note** Photography available online at BellMediaPR.ca.

Set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is an action-adventure Marvel franchise with massive cross-over appeal, making it accessible to all viewers as a compelling serialized series. MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. "is now not only a very good show in its own right, it's part of Marvel's multiplatform city-state," said The Los Angeles Times. "It faces a future of perpetual re-invention, and that puts it in the exhilarating first car of television's roller-coaster ride toward possible world domination."

"As one of the most sought-after titles out there, we are proud to join forces with Marvel and Disney/ABC to make CraveTV the exclusive Canadian SVOD home for MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.," said Mike Cosentino, Senior Vice-President, Programming, Bell Media. "As evidenced by its record-breaking run on CTV, this is a series with premium pedigree and huge audience appeal."

One of the hottest TV properties available, MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. wrapped up its record-breaking inaugural season on CTV as the #1 new series of the 2013/2014 broadcast year in Canada with total viewers and in all key demos, with an average audience of 2 million viewers. An instant hit, it was the first new fall series in a decade to rank in the Top 4 among all key demos (#2 A18-34, #3 A18-49, and #4 A25-54), and was the only new series of 2013/14 to rank in the Top 10 with total viewers. In its second season, the series remains a Top 5 program among A25-54, with an average audience of 2.3 million viewers.

MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Clark Gregg reprises the role of Agent Phil Coulson from Marvel's feature films in MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D., as he assembles a small, highly select group of Agents from the worldwide law-enforcement organization known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Together they investigate the new, the strange, and the unknown around the globe, protecting the ordinary from the extraordinary. Coulson's team consists of Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen), Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), highly trained in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist; Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker), brilliant engineer; and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), genius bio-chemist. Joining them on their journey into mystery is new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet). MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. was co-created by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, who also serve as executive producers along with Jeph Loeb and Jeffrey Bell. MARVEL'S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. is produced by ABC Studios and Marvel Television.

About CraveTV:
All you can watch, for $4/month. Created for TV lovers and devoted exclusively to television, CraveTV^TM is Canada's premium subscription on-demand video streaming service, providing the most robust lineup of superior television content in the country. From TV's most-acclaimed dramas and beloved comedies to documentaries, music, and factual programming, CraveTV features thousands of hours of premium non-kids TV programming, representing hundreds of unique titles. Designed to complement the traditional television ecosystem, and available to all TV providers, CraveTV is available to Eastlink, TELUS Optik TV, Bell Fibe TV, Bell Satellite TV, and Bell Aliant FibreOP TV subscribers, and is coming soon to Northwestel and other CCSA members. Available through traditional set-top boxes, the service will also be available via mobile apps, the web, game consoles, and smart TVs. CraveTV is from Bell Media, Canada's premier multi-media company with more than a decade of leadership delivering Canada's most-watched and most-acclaimed television programming across the Pay, Specialty, and Network TV landscapes. For more on CraveTV, visit www.CraveTV.ca.

About The Disney/ABC Television Group:
The Disney/ABC Television Group is composed of The Walt Disney Company's global entertainment and news television properties, owned television stations, and radio stations. This includes ABC Entertainment Group, ABC News, ABC Owned Television Stations Group, Disney Channels Worldwide, Radio Disney and ABC Family, as well as Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution and Disney Media Distribution. The Company's equity interest in Hulu and its 50% equity interest in A&E Networks and Fusion round out the Group's portfolio of media businesses.

About Marvel Entertainment, LLC:
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over seventy years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing and publishing. For more information visit marvel.com. ©MARVEL

About Bell Media:
With passion and an unrelenting commitment to excellence, Bell Media creates content and builds brands that entertain, inform, engage, and inspire audiences through the platforms of their choice. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital media. Bell Media owns 30 local television stations led by CTV, Canada's #1 television network; 35 specialty channels, including TSN and RDS, Canada's most-watched specialty channels in English and French; and four pay TV services, including The Movie Network and Super Écran. Bell Media is also Canada's largest radio broadcaster, with 106 licensed radio stations in 54 markets across Canada. Bell Media owns Astral Out-of-Home, one of Canada's most dynamic and innovative out-of-home advertising companies with a network of more than 9,500 advertising faces in Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Bell Media also operates more than 200 websites; delivers TV Everywhere with premium subscription on-demand streaming service CraveTV^TM, as well as its innovative GO video streaming services including CTV GO, TMN GO, and TSN GO; holds an equity stake in digital startup Hubub; is partners in Cirque du Soleil Media, a joint venture with Cirque du Soleil; and owns Dome Productions Inc., a multi-platform production company. Bell Media is part of BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE: BCE), Canada's largest communications company. For more on Bell Media, please visit www.bellmedia.ca. 

Source: Numeris (BBM Canada), Fall 2014: Sept. 22 – Dec. 7, BY2013-14: Sept 23, 2013 - May 25, 2014 (Weeks 5-39, final data) vs. same weeks in previous years.
Audiences prior to August 31, 2009 are based on BBM Nielsen Media Research Mark II meters.

SOURCE: Bell Media