Starz’s New Strategy: Make More, Own More, Go Where the Giants Won’t
Scoop! There are two hot series in development as top execs Alison Hoffman & Kathryn Busby reveal their post-Lionsgate plan for the first time
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What is in the Starz post-Lionsgate?
When Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood debuts on Friday, it will mark a new beginning for Starz, with the premium cable network setting sail as an independent following its May separation from studio Lionsgate.
The Outlander offshoot will soon be joined by recently ordered Power prequel Origins — the fourth spinoff in the Power universe (so far) — as Starz doubles down on the two most important franchises that best represent its core demographics: women and underrepresented audiences.
And rather than chasing scale, publicly-traded Starz instead is utilizing the reach of bigger platforms like Apple, Amazon and YouTube to expose its programming to more viewers by meeting audiences where they are, forming bundling deals that offer subscribers to other platforms the opportunity to stream (and purchase) originals like BMF, Three Women and the upcoming Spartacus: House of Ashur (due this winter), and library ranging from Black Sails to Da Vinci’s Demons as well as its film titles.
“We see ourselves as a strong independent, as a great alternative to some of the bigger conglomerates,” says Starz president of original programming Kathryn Busby, who joined the cabler in late 2021 after running the TriStar TV division at indie studio Sony. “People know what Starz does; they know who we are and know what we do well.”
I spoke to Busby and Starz Networks president Alison Hoffman, both based in the company’s Santa Monica offices (which are separate from but located near Lionsgate HQ) about the network’s strategy for navigating through a transition for their 550-person company — which houses a premium cable brand and a streaming app with about 20 million subscribers — as well as what the separation of Starz from Lionsgate means after the studio acquired the network/streamer in late 2016 for $4.4 billion. The acquisition of Starz, which launched in 1994 as a cable home for movies and moved into original series in 2004 with the Lionsgate-produced Crash (adapted from the film), was an effort by Lionsgate to build global scale and boost its library value. The split eight years later was designed to create two standalone companies and drive revenue to both, making each a more attractive possible acquisition target — though Busby and Hoffman both declined to comment on whether the company would be a buyer or seller going forward.
Mostly, the two execs spoke about the indie wave right now happening in TV as smaller, nimbler organizations are putting big wins on the board and striking talent deals with creative freedom that can be viewed as more favorable to talent compared to the ones offered by the big players.
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In today’s newsletter:
Scoop! Two new scripted dramas in development — one steeped in Southern Black culture, the other a sweeping historical epic
Inside Starz’s new take on first-look and overall deals — and why it’s backing away from exclusives
How Starz plans to own 50 percent of its slate by 2027, and why that changes its economics
The bundling strategy powering 70 percent of revenue from digital — and how Starz partners with competitors to do it
The company’s DEI commitment in a challenging climate
How Starz stays profitable on both streaming and cable, without ads
The surprising fate of The Hunting Wives, a Starz-developed hit now topping Netflix’s charts
The planned content spend on originals for 2026 and beyond
Busby’s ideal content mix — and how she’s using unscripted, foreign co-productions, and docuseries to fill it
The Miranda July–Brad Pitt collab and other high-profile projects in the pipeline
What Starz execs have to say about its possible acquisition of A+E Networks
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