They may not readily admit it, but Canadian women who prefer watching movies to sex are in luck: Corus Entertainment has rebranded SexTV as W Movies, an all-cinema complement to its W Network.

Targeting women 25-to-49, the new W Movies will launch March 1 and include all-day, all-night movies. It is meant to complement W Network programming by offering the same style of movies, just a whole lot more of them, Shelley Findlay, VP marketing, women’s speciality television, Corus Entertainment, tells MiC.

It’s also the first time a broadcaster has launched a female-targeted, all-movies channel, she says. The first month will have a ‘couples theme,’ featuring movies like Sleepless in Seattle, Shakespeare in Love and What Lies Beneath.

The new channel will have distinct and original branding from W Network and its launch will be promoted via a multimedia campaign including radio in Vancouver and Toronto, print in Vancouver’s Metro and nationally through Famous magazine, in-cinema advertising through Cineplex theatres in Toronto and online on the major portals and entertainment-based websites. It will also, of course, be promoted via Corus’s own properties, including radio, Cosmo, Viva and W Network, as well as each channel’s associated websites.

There will also be increased movie-related advertising opportunities with the new channel, Findlay says. Special programming events can be developed to tie into theatrical or DVD releases and ‘we will also be maximizing real estate to offer the best environments to screen trailers, special ads and promotional spots,’ she explains. There will also likely be brand-integration opportunities tied to W Movies’ original productions, although details on those are still in development.

SexTV was acquired by Corus last fall along with Drive In Classics, which it also rebranded as Sundance Channel.