- Movie network Starz (NASDAQ:STRZA -1.7%) has joined the streaming-app party with its own over-the-top service.
- The service is priced at $8.99/month (vs. HBO Now's $14.99, and Showtime's $10.99) and has a notable differentiator: a "download" button allowing content to be locally saved. It's available on iOS and Android devices.
- CEO Chris Albrecht says the company looked at what HBO and Showtime did and decided to develop its own app in-house "for a fraction of the cost."
- "We have a great business with our long-term MVPD partners, but there's a lot of opportunity to access consumers who are more challenged to get premium television on top of the pay-TV stack," Albrecht says. Starz won't cross-advertise the new service on pay TV platforms, he added.
- He rebufffed questions about whether the new service would help spur possible tie-ups with Lions Gate or CBS: "We're not doing anything purposely to create any result other than grow the value of our company."
- Now read Starz: An Attractive Media Asset On Sale »