Starz plans to grow content by 40% this year

Starz has committed to plans to grow its on-demand content offering by 40% to hit nearly 7,700 titles by the end of 2017.

The Lionsgate-owned US cable company has significantly invested in its app and OTT programming over the past 14 months, growing its content offering by more than 125% to 5,500 titles, it claimed.

Starz is looking to add kids series titles, and has acquired The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, TV specials of The Cat in the Hat, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Naruto, Garfield and Friends and other series that are both for kids and Spanish-language audiences.

“Starz continues to invest in programming for subscribers to continue to reinforce the best value proposition in the marketplace today,” said Jeffrey Hirsch (pictured), chief operating officer at Starz.

The paid-for service claims to have accrued more than one million subscribers since launching in Spring 2016.

This June, Starz acquired a package of kids series from Canada-based Distribution360, which included seasons one and two of Teletoon’s Skatoony, Kids’ CBC’s Snapshots, and TVO pair The Mystery Films and The Prime Radicals seasons one and two, and season one of Atomic Betty.