Lionsgate is mulling spinning off cable channel Starz into a separate company as it looks to reduce its debt load. According to The Wall Street Journal, a spin-off is among a number of options the studio is considering for the Outlander and American Gods channel, which it purchased for $4.4bn in 2016. Others include putting […]
Avalon Group has hired Lionsgate Television’s chief operating officer Laura Kennedy as CEO. Avalon founders Jon Thoday and Richard Allen-Turner will become co-executive chairmen of the company following her appointment, which marks a return to the producer for Kennedy after a 12 year spell at Lionsgate. She is based out of the company’s Los Angeles […]
Lionsgate-backed US cabler Starz has handed its chief operating officer Jeffrey Hirsch a new long-term deal and named him CEO at the network. Hirsch had been in charge of Starz since March, after former boss Chris Albrecht revealed he was stepping down from the CEO role after almost a decade with the company. Starz, which […]
Lionsgate Entertainment and Metro Goldwyn Mayer-backed AVOD streamer Tubi is expanding into Australia as part of a forthcoming global roll-out. The free ad-supported streaming service claims to be the world’s largest AVOD, having surpassed 20 million monthly users earlier this summer. The Australian service launches on September 1 and will provide customers with access to […]
US studio Lionsgate has promoted Scott Herbst and Jocelyn Sabo to new roles overseeing the company’s TV output. Herbst becomes head of scripted development for Lionsgate Television Group while Sabo has been named senior VP of television. Former NBCUniversal International exec Herbst was most recently senior VP of TV production and will now oversee development […]
Arte, France TV takes TVF series European broadcasters including Arte, France TV and cablenet Planete+ have picked up more than 100 hours of programming from factual distributor TVF International. Arte has acquired Empires of Silver (3 x 60 minutes) for its Sunday night primetime slot, with the show produced by Matchlight and exploring how silver […]
Lionsgate has struck a first-look deal with singer-actor Mary J. Blige and her fledgling Blue Butterfly Productions. The studio has partnered with the Grammy-winning, Oscar-nominated artist to develop and produce TV series under her new banner. Blige – who has had a rich acting career, starring in films such as Netflix’s Mudbound and series The […]
Disney-controlled streamer Hulu and cable channel FX have struck a two-year output deal with Lionsgate for films released in 2020 and 2021. The deal is understood to mark the first time an SVOD and cable channel have partnered on a theatrical output deal. The slate for 2020 includes such films as I Still Believe, a biopic […]
Lionsgate has revealed less than satisfying year-end results, reporting a net loss of $284m for the fiscal year ended 31 March despite the steady growth of Starz. The studio reported full-year revenues of $3.68bn and an operating income of $130m – down from $4.13bn in revenues and $248m in operating income for the period last […]
Lionsgate has picked up international distribution rights to Hulu comedy series Ramy. The studio has picked up rights to the A24-produced series, which tells the story of a 20-something, first-generation Egyptian-American on a spiritual journey in his politically-divided New Jersey neighbourhood. The show — which has been renewed for a second series — explores the intersection of […]
