Starz Working With Altice On “Fair And Reasonable” Distribution Agreement, Cable Company Responds — Update

UPDATED 2:58 PM PST, Dec. 30: In regards to the distribution agreement between Altice and Starz, Altice USA spokesperson, Lisa Anselmo told Deadline: “We are focused on providing the best content experience and continually evaluate which channels meet the needs and preferences of our customers relative to the cost of the programming imposed by the content owners.”

“Since our last contract renewal, Starz began offering a direct to consumer streaming service, which drastically changes the value proposition their network provides us and our customers,” she added. “Yet Starz is asking for outrageous increases in programming costs and, given the limited viewership of Starz amongst our customer base and the different ways consumers can directly access Starz content, we are working to reach an agreement that is reasonable and reflects the best interests of all our customers.”

Anselmo goes on to say that Starz insists on terms that would charge customers more than OTT product costs, which would be a bad deal for consumers who can get the service for less directly from Starz. She says they are looking to keep customers’ costs down.

“Despite Starz’ allegations, we have been negotiating and made several meaningful offers over the course of the negotiations including as early as today,” said Anselmo. “It’s disappointing Starz chose to make our negotiations public and instead they should focus on the negotiations.”

EARLIER: Starz Networks recently gave a statement in regards to the status of negotiations with Altice which could see a potential loss of all of Starz’s programming services when its distribution partnership expires at midnight Jan. 1.

“Starz has been working in good faith to reach a fair and reasonable distribution agreement with the team at Altice in order to continue providing our subscribers with all 17 Starz, StarzEncore, and MoviePlex premium channels,” Starz said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “We’re the second-largest premium pay network and the only premium television content provider focused on creating programming for underserved African American, Latino, female and LGBTQ viewers, with original series like Power, Outlander, American Gods, Ash vs Evil Dead and hundreds of blockbuster movies.”

The statement adds, “But rather than negotiating in a meaningful way, Altice is demanding a totally unreasonable agreement unlike anything that has previously existed in our longstanding partnership. We urge them to join with us in working to reach an agreement that is fair, reasonable and operates in the best interests of our customers, many of whom cannot otherwise find programming that speaks directly to them.”

Starz has made a name for itself as the second most subscribed to premium network. They recently signed new deals with Verizon and Hulu. The aforementioned series Power and Outlander have proven to be major grabs for Starz. Power is ranked number one for African Americans in premium television while Outlander gained a loyal audience and in 2017, was the number two ranked scripted series behind Game of Thrones among women viewers.

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