Kino Lorber’s MHz Choice and Topic will be combined into one streaming service, the company announced.
The combined product will be the exclusive U.S. streaming home for the German hit series “Babylon Berlin” starting in April. As of February 29, the series is no longer available domestically on Netflix, which previously held U.S. streaming rights.
Co-produced, written and directed by Tom Tuiker, Achim von Borries and Hendrik Handrogten, Babylon Berlin is based on the novel by Volker Kutscher and distributed by Beta Film. Season 4 of the show, which has not previously been available for streaming in North America, is scheduled to arrive on the new service on June 25th.
In addition to “Babylon Berlin,” the MHz Choice and topic combination lineup includes “The Killing,” “The Bridge,” “Detective Montalbano,” “The Sea Beyond,” “Pagan Peak,” “A French Village,” Contains “Spiral”. ”, “Beck”, and “Murder In”.
Current MHz Choice and Topic subscribers will be transitioned to the new service in the coming months. The combined service costs $7.99 per month, which is the cost of a MHz Choice subscription.
The integrated MHz Choice-Topic streamer will be overseen by Martha Benyam, Kino Lorber’s Chief Operating Officer. Chief Revenue Officer Lisa Schwartz will lead sales and partnerships. Lance Schuurst, head of content strategy, will continue to handle programming. Monica Bloom will continue as chief marketing officer.
“MHz Choice is now the ultimate destination for lovers of international series, especially European mysteries and Scandinavian noir,” said Ed Carroll, president of Kino Lorber Media Group. “‘Babylon Berlin’ is one of television’s crown jewels, with a timeless reputation that shows like ‘The French Village’, ‘Downton Abbey’ and ‘Mad Men’ have around the world. It’s a historical drama whose themes transcend geography and language. We look forward to our subscribers enjoying the early seasons of Babylon Berlin and the premiere of Season 4.”
