The battle among Canada’s movie channels heated up early Monday with news that HBO, or at least its name, is coming north. The Movie Network and Movie Central have unveiled plans to launch HBO Canada at the end of October, renaming two of their existing channels for the iconic U.S. broadcaster.

The deal brings the ‘full slate’ of programming into Canada. Both TMN and MC already carry a great deal of HBO programming, but ‘Canadians still wanted more,’ said John Riley, president of TMN parent Astral Television Networks, in a statement. ‘They wanted the comedy series, the live specials, the sporting events and the behind-the-scenes content.’

‘In launching HBO Canada we will be in a position to offer Canadians this additional content.’

The new channel will launch on Oct. 30, with new and returning series such as True Blood, Entourage, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords and In Treatment, airing day-and-date with HBO in the U.S.

The arrival of the HBO brand deals a blow to Superchannel, which, nearly a year after it launched its bid to break the TMN/MC duopoly, is still looking to make an impression on viewers.

M More, one of the five channels operated by TMN, will be branded as HBO Canada, according to a company spokesperson, noting that the channel has tended to overlap with the main TMN channel. Likewise, a channel in the MC group will also be renamed.