Montreal: Astral Television Networks/Astral Tele Reseaux has renewed its exclusive Canadian output deal with HBO Enterprises through to 2004.

The deal with hbo ensures TMN-The Movie Network and French-track pay-tv movie channel Super Ecran will retain first-window broadcast of the Emmy Award-winning drama The Sopranos, one of the services’ more popular draws.

tmn’s Cancon contribution is tied by regulation to its subscriber base, currently just over 500,000.

atn, including tmn, Moviepix and ppv service Viewer’s Choice Canada, has about $100 million in annual revenues, 20% of which is earmarked for the acquisition of Canadian programming, says a spokesperson for the broadcaster.

The third season of The Sopranos airs on tmn in early 2001.

The hbo drama lineup also includes The Corner, Cheaters, Band of Brothers, The Last of the Blonde Bombshells and Off the Ramp to Babylon.

hbo does not have an output deal with Western Canadian pay channel Superchannel. atn is an Astral Media company.