Starz and Encore channels went dark on Altice USA cable systems in New York area as the new year dawned and the sides failed to come to terms on a new carriage agreement.
Altice said in a statement that Starz refused the MVPD’s efforts to set a short-term contract extension while negotiations continued past the midnight ET deadline. Altice USA,which serves about 4.9 million subscribers in the New York area as well as in Midwestern states. maintains that Starz is seeking rate hikes that would force Altice to charge its subscribers more than the cost of Starz’s stand-alone streaming service.
Reps for Starz could not immediately be reached for comment.
“We are focused on providing the best content experience for our customers and continually evaluate which channels meet their needs and preferences relative to the cost of the programming imposed by content owners,” Altice USA said in a statement. “Given that Starz is available to all consumers directly through Starz’ own over-the-top streaming service, we don’t believe it makes sense to charge all of our customers for Starz programming, particularly when their viewership is declining and the majority of our customers don’t watch Starz.”
Altice USA said it would replace the 17 Starz-Encore channels with a package of movie channels that include Hallmark Drama, Sony Movies, MGM HD, HD Net Movies, Flix, and Cowboy Channel. Altice said “certain customers” will be given Showtime sibling The Movie Channel for free.
Altice emphasized that subscribers who want Starz-Encore can easily access the programming by subscribing to the streaming app directly from Starz.
More to come
(Pictured: Starz drama “Outlander”)
