Lionsgate-owned Starz has announced a full rebrand of streamer StarzPlay to Lionsgate+. The streamer will roll out its new identity in 35 countries on 29 September, excluding the US and Canada where it will remain as Starz. Brand names for StarzPlay Arabia, along with south and southeast Asia’s Lionsgate Play will also remain in place. […]
NBCUniversal-owned US streamer Peacock and Lionsgate have inked a multi-year deal for The Continental, the upcoming prequel series to the John Wick action franchise. The three-part event series will now debut exclusively next year on Peacock, which recently acquired streaming rights to the John Wick movies. It had originally been expected to launch on Lionsgate-owned […]
US network Starz is in development on Book Of Marlon, a new comedy series co-written, exec produced by and starring Marlon Wayans as a fictionalised version of himself. The half-hour series explores Wayans professional life as a comedian and actor, as well as his personal life as he attempts to reconcile being a good person […]
US network Starz has gone into development on its prequel to historical fantasy series Outlander, which it has now confirmed will be titled Outlander: Blood Of My Blood. The writers’ room is now underway on the prequel, which was first reported in February, and will follow the love story of the parents of Outlander character […]
Lionsgate is hoping to have details of its “plan” for Starz by the end of the summer and is looking to have wrapped up a deal by March next year, according to CEO Jon Feltheimer. Lionsgate revealed in November that it was considering selling or spinning off cablenet and streamer Starz, which is home to dramas such as Outlander […]
US network Starz has handed a three season pledge for a romantic drama series from director and producer Ava DuVernay – pending pickup. The untitled project, which is still in development, has received an 18 x 30-minute script-to-series agreement, upon official greenlight, from Starz. DuVernay (Queen Sugar, When They See Us) is set to exec […]
Consolidation is as much a part of the global TV business as cliffhanger endings and cocktail catch-ups in Cannes. But as buy-outs continue to dominate headlines, are we rapidly approaching peak M&A? For those in the content business, the year to date has been punctuated by a series of major industry upheavals with eye-watering numbers […]
Scripted adaptations of true crime stories are at a high point that looks likely to decline as viewers look for more feel-good fare, according to showrunners behind some of the genre’s biggest recent commissions. Patrick Macmanus, who has been behind Dr Death for NBCUniversal’s Peacock and is co-showrunner on Hulu’s recently released The Girl From Plainville, […]
Netflix will “pivot” its business by reviewing its rights models and windowing – as well as cutting exec pay – as it looks to bounce back from a bruising six months, according to Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. The world’s biggest streamer’s value has plummeted by $200bn so far in 2022, with its share price down […]
Netflix’s plummeting share price has underlined the fragility of an SVOD-only model and already fed through to content cuts – even Meghan Markle and Prince Harry couldn’t avoid the swinging axe as the streamer looks to slash spending. Yet while Netflix gets to grips with “the complexity of advertising”, it’s been clear to many for some time now […]
