Lionsgate is expanding its European Starz network by launching its Starzplay channel on Virgin Media in the U.K. on Nov. 29.
The company made the announcement on Thursday following a better than-expected earnings report for the second quarter that ended on Sept. 30, driven by a gain of 1.3 million domestic Starz subscribers. Virgin TV customers in the U.K. will have the opportunity to watch Starz series all in one place, with future shows premiering on the same day as in the U.S., including Season 2 of J.K. Simmons’ “Counterpart,” which debut on Dec. 9.
“The partnership with Virgin Media is an exciting next step in the rollout of the Starzplay platform, expanding the audience for our wide range of Starz Originals, TV series, and movies exclusively available on Starzplay to a whole new and expansive customer base,” said Starz president and CEO Chris Albrecht.
Starzplay is being priced at £4.99/$6.54 a month. Lionsgate announced in May that it was teaming with Amazon to expand its Starz network in Europe through its Starzplay channels in Germany and the U.K. The service is now available on Amazon Prime Video Channels in the U.K. and Germany, with upcoming launches in France, Italy, and Spain.
David Bouchier, chief digital entertainment officer at Virgin Media said, “The launch of Starzplay on Virgin TV will give our customers access to even more brilliant box-sets, amazing movies, and gripping TV series such as ‘The White Princess’ and ‘Mr. Mercedes.’ This exciting addition to our platform means Virgin TV customers will be able to enjoy new Starz content as it launches in the U.S.”
The move comes two years after Lionsgate bought Starz for $4.4 billion in cash and stock.