starz
Latest
Comcast isn't letting customers use Starz's video service
Comcast isn't exactly known for playing nicely with outside video services (just ask Roku owners), and that trend isn't letting up anytime soon. Multichannel News notes that the cable giant isn't letting its subscribers authenticate with the TV Everywhere side of Starz' new streaming service, which would let customers watch at no charge beyond their existing TV subscriptions. Comcast is the only big TV provider that isn't authenticating, so it's clear that this isn't a technical hurdle.
Starz launches its own streaming service with offline viewing
The home of Blunt Talk, Outlander and Black Sails is copying HBO and Showtime by launching its own streaming service. Priced at $8.99 a month, Starz is letting its users watch the channel's original series and licensed movies on-demand. The big difference between Starz and rivals like HBO and Netflix is that this service will let users download and watch titles offline. That way, you'll be able to marathon the latest Disney movies like Age of Ultron and The Force Awakens on a long haul flight. In addition, if you already pay for Starz through your cable subscription and aren't ready to cut the cord yet, you'll be able to get free access to the app.
Preview premium channels for free on Verizon FiOS
Verizon announced a new perk for its FiOS customers on Monday that will allow them to preview HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, EPIX or Starz for up to 48 hours. The offer will be available on not only live TV but also for On Demand titles and through the Fios Mobile App. While you'll be able to preview each channel individually, you'll only be able to do so once a year. Still, it beats waiting for those randomly timed free preview weekends.
Amazon lets you attach other video services to your Prime account
Those rumors of Amazon letting you attach other video services to your Prime subscription? They're true. The internet giant just kicked off the Streaming Partners Program, an alliance that makes it easier for you to sign up to multiple video services. So long as you have that Prime subscription, you only need your one Amazon account to handle everything. The option even gives you a multi-service watch list and integration with other Prime features, like ASAP playback, voice search and X-Ray. You also receive a discount on pricing, such as the $9 per month you'll pay for early launch partners Showtime and Starz.
Chromecast gets Showtime, Starz and family-friendly games to make the holidays less tedious
So, your kids have grown into easily bored teens who would (in their own words) rather die than join your yearly holiday Scrabble tournament. Sorry about that. Maybe they'd enjoy these new Chromecast games for the family a lot better than traditional board games, though. Since they're Chromecast apps, they use your phone or tablet as a controller and the TV as a game board. The list includes titles that put a spin on classic board games (Wheel of Fortune, Hasbro's Monopoly Dash, Scrabble Blitz, Connect Four Quads and Simon Swipe), as well as Just Dance Now for those who prefer a more active game to a sedentary one. And, yes, the phone or tablet can tell if a player's putting their hands in the air or if they're being a wet blanket.
Sam Raimi's bringing an 'Evil Dead' series to TV in 2015
In a world where any show with "The" and "Dead" in the title is a runaway success comes, er, another one. That's because Starz has teamed up with Sam Raimi to produce a new TV series that'll follow cult movie trilogy The Evil Dead. The 10-part show will chronicle the later life of square-jawed hero Ash (Bruce Campbell) who will once again be called upon to battle the forces of Deadites. Given that the press release mentions Ash's role as a "stock boy," it's easy to presume that the character will be still working at the S-Mart where he was left at the end of Army of Darkness - rather than the post-apocalyptic future we saw in the director's cut of the same movie. The series will begin next year, so be prepared for Twitter to be nothing more than an endless stream of people saying Groovy #Groovy.
'Party Down' comes to Hulu Plus, first five eps are on free Hulu
Amazon is loading up a new pilot season of original TV shows, and while Netflix's content juggernaut was shut out at the Emmys, at least it was nominated. So what can Hulu do? In addition to its own list of original shows, exclusively licensed content from UK channels and Criterion, it's added the Starz hit series Party Down, just in time for your Labor Day weekend viewing binge. The show only ran for two seasons, but all 20 episodes are ready to watch for Hulu Plus subscribers, featuring Adam Scott, Lizzy Caplan, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino, Martin Starr and Megan Mulally as employees of a Hollywood catering service. If you've somehow missed it until now, this is the perfect time to watch -- we teared up when the show disappeared from Netflix along with all of the other Starz Play content a couple of years ago. Now Hulu has picked up the license, and even if you're not a subscriber you can watch the first five episodes for free on the show page right here.
My god, the Xbox One is full of STARZ
Following the lead of NBC Universal entertainment apps like USA Now and SyFy Now, STARZ has released STARZ Play for the Xbox One, granting owners of Microsoft's new console access to tons of movies and original programming. If you've got a STARZ subscription, shows like Spartacus, Black Sails and Da Vinci's Demons are now available to watch on your Xbox One. However, even if you lack the aforementioned subscription, STARZ is making the first episode of its newest original series, Outlander, available to watch for free. At the moment, you can also check out movies like Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3. You know, in case Guardians of the Galaxy getting all up in Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes, Minecraft and virtual pinball wasn't enough Marvel for you. Oh, and our headline? That's a nod to a little film called 2001: A Space Odyssey. Some Hollywood humor for you. Enjoy. [Image: STARZ]
MLB.tv and Epix streaming apps are coming to Xbox One
Xbox One owners already have their fair share of video services to choose from in the US, but they're about to get a pair of welcome additions. Major League Baseball now says that MLB.tv Premium should be available to stream live games on the console in time for opening day. Meanwhile, Epix has revealed plans to bring its primarily movie-focused service to the Xbox One in the near future. And don't worry about being left out if you're still hanging on to your Xbox 360 -- Starz has just launched Encore Play and Movieplex Play apps for the earlier system, while Major League Gaming released its e-sports app yesterday. All told, it looks like you'll have plenty of viewing options this spring.
Premium channels strike back: Showtime, HBO and Starz say they're adding subscribers, not losing them
Yesterday The NPD Group released data from a survey showing fewer US TV watchers are subscribing to premium cable channels, but now the networks say that isn't true. As first reported on the LA Times Company Town blog, spokespeople from HBO, Showtime and Starz have all refuted the numbers. Of the three, only Starz is publicly traded and reports its subscriber count quarterly, so it has the most detailed stats. While the fourth quarter numbers won't be out for another month or so, its customer count is at 22 million as of Q3, up 1.2 million from a year before, and 1.9 million 18 months prior. HBO and Showtime don't release the same kind of numbers, but point to stats from another market researcher, SNL Kagan that show their subscriber count and market penetration growing consistently over the past few years. According to Showtime, it's added one million customers per year, each year, for the last six years. Rich Greenfield of BTIG also points to quarterly earnings snippets that indicate recent growth for premium TV channels and considers the results of NPD's 7,500 household survey to be "misleading/meaningless." So why the discrepancy? Looking at the NPD chart, we see it measure the percentage of internet households with premium channels, so it could be skewed by people recently adding internet, but not premium channels. Whatever the case, even as Netflix (which will report its Q4 numbers tomorrow afternoon), Amazon, Hulu, Redbox and the rest expand, it appears the old model of TV distribution isn't on its deathbed just yet. Update: As reported by The Wrap, NPD has pulled the original report from its website, and is reviewing its data.
Michael Bay's 'Black Sails' hits iTunes, Amazon and YouTube a week before TV premiere
It's no longer strange to see a TV series premiere online before it reaches traditional broadcasters, but Starz is planning a truly special internet debut for its latest project, Black Sails. The first episode of the Michael Bay-produced pirate drama will be available for free through a wide range of online portals on January 18th, a week before it reaches conventional TV. Starz will both host the free show itself as well as offer it through Amazon, iTunes, Machinima's YouTube channel (a first for Starz) and Xbox Video. Charter, Comcast, Cox, Dish and Time Warner Cable will let you watch through their platforms, too. There's no guarantee that the digital screening will help Black Sails build an audience, but Starz has a second season in the pipeline -- the show is already off to a promising start.
Verizon's FiOS Mobile app adds Encore, Starz and more for live-streaming anywhere
Verizon's FiOS mobile apps for Android and iOS are about to get significantly more appealing, as the carrier has just added 16 additional channels for out-of-home live streaming. When this feature debuted back in September, it only supported nine channels, including the Travel Channel and the BBC. As of today, though, FiOS customers will also have access to Encore, Showtime, Starz and many more. Verizon's also targeting sports fans with the addition of beIN and NFL Redzone. Here's hoping even more channels are to come.
Time Warner Cable taps into Starz Play and Encore Play
Many subscribers of Starz and Encore have known the joy of free, on-demand movies for some time now, but customers of Time Warner Cable are more likely accustomed to another feeling -- one of exclusion. Fortunately, that all changes today, as Time Warner now provides access to Starz Play and Encore Play. The services are free to subscribers of the pay channels, and are accessible both over the web and via apps for Android and iOS. As it stands, Starz Play offers access to 400 titles (including 300 movies), while Encore Play offers somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 titles, 300 of which are movies. Signing into Starz Play and Encore Play is simply a matter of plugging in your Time Warner Cable ID, which is used for authentication with the Play system. Naturally, the latest announcement serves as a nice complement to TWC TV, and could also prove itself a worthwhile Plan B for times when Netflix is on the fritz.
Starz, Encore and Movieplex Play apps arrive on Android
Starz Play has had a home on iOS since October, but now it's made the jump to Android, and it's brought Encore Play and Movieplex Play along with it. By wielding the apps, users can stream video from the TV network over WiFi and 3G -- provided they have a cable subscription with AT&T U-verse, Cox, DirecTV or Verizon. Comcast customers aren't entirely left out in the cold, however, as they can already catch content licensed from the television channel through the Xfinity website and apps. If you're ready to get your fill of Starz flicks, hit the bordering source links for the downloads. [Thanks, Artem]
Sony Pictures renews Starz exclusivity agreement, locks in until 2021
Sony Pictures films from Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, TriStar, and Screen Gems will remain first-run exclusive to Starz-included cable packages through 2021, Sony Pictures and Starz announced this morning. The deal was previously set to expire with the closing of 2016's box office, but Sony and Starz apparently were cozy enough to ink another five years on the contract; it's unclear how much money changed hands to make this happen. Starz boasts a sextet of films headed to its pay television channels this year from Sony Pictures, including The Amazing Spider-Man and Zero Dark Thirty -- digital streaming services like Netflix have been stripping away many cable television first-run deals as consumers migrate to streaming services from traditional cable plans. Starz itself once pushed films to Netflix, but famously ended that deal in late 2011. Disney, however, recently signed just such a deal with Netflix, promising first-run exclusivity starting in 2016. And us, well, we just want a stable place to watch hit John Travolta vehicles like Wild Hogs and Battlefield Earth. Is that so much to ask?
Comcast Xfinity TV Player update adds downloads for offline viewing on iOS, Android
Comcast brought video on-demand streaming to subscriber's mobile devices since early last year, but now an update has added the option to download (some) content for offline viewing. Arriving simultaneously on iOS and Android, the Xfinity TV Player apps support downloads from premium channels Showtime (which was also one of the first up for streaming when that launched), Starz, Encore and MoviePlex. We downloaded the app on both platforms and found it to work in similar fashion, assuming you're already logged in (and have any of those channels in your package) the option to download is right next to the usual stream button with options available for two different levels of picture quality. The high quality option wasn't quite HD quality to our eyes, but certainly passable for viewing on a flight or subway. We did run into a hiccup on Android however, with an "unknown error" stopping us from downloading files to our Galaxy S II running ICS. If there were more content available it would be a decent no-additional-hardware-needed matchup for solutions like TiVo's Stream or DirecTV's Nomad, while we wait for that you can get a taste of the apps for each platform at the source links. Update:As of 11/20, Comcast pushed another update to the Android app, and after logging in again, we were able to download shows to our Galaxy S II without issue. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them
Earlier this year Starz pulled its online content library back from Netflix and now it's relaunching the old Starz Play branded websites and apps (iOS and WiFi only for now, 3G and Android coming soon) for authenticated streaming, similar to HBO Go and Showtime Anytime. There's also an Encore Play site, and it plans to launch one for its Movieplex channel in the future. Currently, the services only support logins from Cox cable subscribers, but if you're not on that pay-TV provider you may not be missing out after all. Starz has already licensed its content to providers like Comcast for streaming through its Xfinity website and apps, deals which it tells The Hollywood Reporter cover about 70 percent of its customers. Like HBO and Showtime, this probably is not a prelude to offering its service beyond the tethers of cable and satellite, but as exec Ed Huguez puts it, "it is an expression of (Starz') brand and user interface." That likely only applies domestically however, as Starz also announced it's licensing its content to the cable-free HBO Nordic service, and one can see how building up its technology means it could serve up its own streams internationally some day. Even if you get Starz, if your provider is large enough to handle its own business when it comes to online services this probably won't affect you. However, for customers on smaller cable companies or in the future when deals get renegotiated, you may have another app to add to your drawer for TV Everywhere-style viewing.
Spartacus Legends is based on Spartacus show, fighting for consoles in 2013
Ubisoft is developing a fighting game based on the Starz original series, Spartacus. The game is Spartacus Legends, and the show is Spartacus. And the game is Spartacus. And the movie is Spartacus. And we are Spartacus. (It had to be done; quit groaning and move on.)Spartacus Legends is set to launch in early 2013 for "your favorite console," although we assume SNES is out of the question on this one, no matter how "old-school" the series itself is. Spartacus Legends is based on characters from the television series and includes thousands of weapon combinations and a skill system to customize individual characters, including Spartacus and Crixus.Spartacus Legends will feature offline and online multiplayer in brutal arena battles. The game will be playable at the Starz Media booth at San Diego Comic-Con, running Thursday, July 12 to Sunday, July 15.%Gallery-160198%
DirecTV iPad app adds (some) TV and movie streaming 'Everywhere' (Update: beta)
After adding live TV streaming features to the DirecTV iPad app last fall, the company is expanding the feature today by pushing an upgrade that lets viewers watch video (but no live TV, yet) even when they're away from home. Dubbed DirecTV Everywhere, it follows up on the company's promises of more video for customer's mobile devices, offering "selected" video on-demand programming for on the go viewing. The Solid Signal Blog has an early preview of the new features with more screenshots and a video, revealing that available content at the moment consists of premium movie channels (HBO networks, Starz, Sony Movie Channel) and DirecTV's own Audience Network. While we wait for more content, other new features include the What's Hot social module pulling from your Twitter and Facebook friends to see what they're watching, and social checkins with Miso. We haven't gotten any official info from DirecTV on the upgrade beyond the changelog, but for now you can check out iTunes for the details.Update: We've heard back from DirecTV, and its stance is that the DirecTV Everywhere service is still under beta test, which may explain the limited content availability at the moment. Other than the iPad app content is also going to be available through DirecTV.com, and we should look for a national launch in late spring / early summer.[Thanks, Brandon & Brian]
Netflix Watch Instantly's life after Starz includes Academy Award winners, more captions
In a change of conversation that would make Don Draper proud, Netflix has picked up its blogging pen and accentuated the positive, even as hundreds of titles provided by Starz Play blinked away this week. The first bit of good news? Content that's coming instead of going includes several movies that scored trophies at last weekend's Academy Awards,including Best Picture winner The Artist, and Best Documentary winner Undefeated that will arrive "later this year, plus Best Animated Feature Rango that goes live on the service March 31st. That extends to movies in theaters too, as last weekend's top two, Act of Valor and Good Deeds, are pay-TV window exclusives for Netflix. The other positive note is that it achieved a goal of offering closed captioning on 80 percent of the hours streamed by the end of last year, and notes 90 percent of streaming is now done on devices that have been updated to support optional captions. The bad news there is that some embedded TV and Blu-ray player software might not be able to be updated for captions, and progress on adding captions for that last twenty percent of content may be slower since it's content that isn't viewed as often. So, is the red envelope company doing enough to keep you hanging around, or are you going to blow through the last few eps of Lillyhammer and pull the eject button?
