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Crave
Crave is Bell Media's profitable Canadian streaming platform acquiring prestige drama, unscripted formats, and Canadian originals with a growing international co-production footprint.
Current mandate
Crave, Bell Media's flagship streaming service, occupies a distinctive position in the North American streaming landscape as one of the few subscription video-on-demand platforms reported to be operating profitably. The platform is on track to break its own streaming record, according to company statements, and is navigating a pivotal regulatory moment under Canada's Online Streaming Act, which introduces Canadian content quotas that Crave's leadership has publicly welcomed as a competitive lever against U.S. streamers. Its content slate is anchored by output deals with HBO and Sony, complemented by a growing slate of Bell Media originals spanning English and French-language programming.
Crave's acquisition pattern over the past year reflects a broad appetite: the platform commissioned a four-part docuseries following Canada's national women's rugby team ahead of the 2025 Rugby World Cup, ordered the first international adaptation of Banijay Rights' physical comedy gameshow format "Let's Play Ball," and acquired the unscripted paranormal series "Snooki: Paranormal Rookie." On the prestige drama side, Crave partnered with Norway's NRK on "So Long, Marianne," a Leonard Cohen biographical drama that subsequently sold to ITVX, signaling the platform's ambitions as an international co-production partner. A multi-year pact with Jared Keeso and New Metric Media targeting roughly 18 episodes per year across the Letterkenny universe, including "Shoresy," remains a cornerstone of its Canadian original strategy. In October, Crave also struck a co-production and distribution deal with Fox, with Fox Entertainment Global handling international sales on jointly developed projects for both Fox in the U.S. and Bell platforms in Canada.
Material reaches Crave primarily through established production company relationships and international co-production partnerships. Bell Media has more than 200 original productions underway with more than 100 different Canadian production companies across its English and French businesses, many of which feed directly into Crave. International projects have arrived via broadcaster partnerships, as with the NRK co-production, and through format rights deals with global distributors such as Banijay Rights. No open submission portal or public pitch program is documented in tracked deal activity; every observed deal has come through a production company, sales agent, or broadcaster partner relationship.
Signature peaks
- 200+ Co-Productions Active — Bell Media has more than 200 original productions underway across its English and French businesses, many feeding Crave.
- ~18 eps/year Keeso Universe Target — The multi-year Jared Keeso pact with New Metric Media targets roughly 18 episodes per year across Shoresy and related shows.
- ITVX Pick-Up International Drama Reach — Crave's NRK co-production So Long, Marianne sold to ITVX, demonstrating the platform's growing international co-production credentials.
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- Not disclosed
- Territory focus
- Not disclosed
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- Every tracked deal has arrived through an established production company relationship, an international broadcaster co-production partnership (such as the NRK arrangement for So Long, Marianne), or a format rights deal with a global distributor such as Banijay Rights. No unsolicited submission pathway is documented in available deal records.
- Deal structure
- Crave commissions originals directly with Canadian production companies under multi-year content pacts, enters international co-production arrangements with foreign broadcasters, and acquires format adaptation rights from global distributors; distribution on jointly developed projects is handled in partnership with Bell Media and, in the case of the Fox deal, Fox Entertainment Global for international sales.
Recent acquisitions
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All Heart: Canada Women's Rugby and the Quest ...
Bell Media's Crave has commissioned a four-part docuseries on Canada's national women's rugby team and their journey to the 2025 Rugby World Cup final.
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Let's Play Ball (Canadian adaptation)
Bell Media's Canadian streamer Crave has ordered the first international adaptation of Banijay Rights entertainment format Let's Play Ball
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[Snooki-led paranormal unscripted series; title not provided]
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Snooki: Paranormal Rookie
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So Long, Marianne
Market context
Crave has been described as "a rare example of an SVoD turning a profit," positioning it as one of the most stable commissioning platforms in the Canadian market right now.
Crave, Bell Media's flagship streaming service, occupies a distinctive position in the North American streaming landscape as one of the few subscription video-on-demand platforms reported to be operating profitably. The platform is on track to break its own streaming record, according to company statements, and is navigating a pivotal regulatory moment under Canada's Online Streaming Act, which introduces Canadian content quotas that Crave's leadership has publicly welcomed as a competitive lever against U.S. streamers. Its content slate is anchored by output deals with HBO and Sony, complemented by a growing slate of Bell Media originals spanning English and French-language programming.
Common questions about Crave
Does Crave accept unsolicited scripts from unrepresented writers?
No open submission portal or public pitch program is documented in ScriptMatch's tracked deal activity for Crave. Every observed deal has moved through an established production company, a sales agent, or a broadcaster co-production partner. Writers and producers seeking to place material with Crave are best served by attaching a Canadian production company already active in the Bell Media ecosystem, where more than 100 different companies are currently engaged across English and French programming.
What budget level does Crave typically work at?
Budget figures are not disclosed in Crave's tracked deal activity. However, the platform's slate ranges from prestige international co-productions, such as the NRK-partnered Leonard Cohen drama So Long, Marianne, to unscripted formats and docuseries, suggesting a wide budget band. As part of Bell Media, a large vertically integrated broadcaster, Crave can draw on linear channel infrastructure and distribution resources that smaller standalone streamers cannot, which likely supports higher-budget commissioning.
What festivals does Crave source films and series from?
Crave's tracked acquisitions skew toward commissioned originals and co-productions rather than festival pickups. The platform's deal flow is primarily driven by direct relationships with Canadian production companies, international broadcaster partnerships (such as Norway's NRK), and format rights deals with global distributors like Banijay Rights. Festival-sourced acquisitions are not a dominant pattern in the available data, though the platform's prestige drama ambitions make festival-adjacent co-productions a plausible route.
How do I get my script or project in front of Crave?
The most documented route is through a Canadian production company already working within the Bell Media ecosystem. Bell Media has more than 200 original productions underway with more than 100 different Canadian production companies. International projects have reached Crave via broadcaster co-production partnerships and format rights deals through established sales agents. New Metric Media, for example, serves as the exclusive sales agent on the Jared Keeso slate. Attaching a recognized production partner or sales agent is the most clearly observed pathway.
What genres is Crave currently acquiring?
Crave's recent acquisitions span prestige drama (the Leonard Cohen biographical series So Long, Marianne), unscripted and paranormal reality (Snooki: Paranormal Rookie), sports documentary (the Canada women's rugby docuseries All Heart), and physical comedy gameshow formats (the Canadian adaptation of Let's Play Ball). The platform's seeking statement emphasizes Canadian and international drama series, French-language originals, and English-language prestige content, with the Letterkenny universe anchoring its Canadian comedy output.
Is Crave currently active in the market?
Yes. Crave recorded a deal within the past 90 days and has 55 total tracked records over the past 12 months. The platform is on track to break its own streaming record, according to company statements, and recently ordered the first international adaptation of Banijay Rights' Let's Play Ball format. A Fox co-production deal signed in late 2024 further expands its commissioning pipeline. Crave's leadership has also flagged Canada's Online Streaming Act as a catalyst for increased Canadian content investment.
Adjacent buyers in this lane
- Beta Cinema — Beta Cinema is a Munich-based international sales agent specializing in arthouse and literary-adapta
- Starz — Starz is a premium cable and streaming network doubling down on wholly owned scripted drama and inte
- Cineflix Rights — Cineflix Rights is a genre-focused international distributor and co-production financier specializin
- Filmax — Filmax is a Spanish distributor and co-producer with a long track record in genre cinema, currently
Related reading
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