Wednesday 24 Sep 2014
Starz Entertainment and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions announced today an innovative multi-year partnership to develop, produce, and distribute premium television series. These series will be co-developed by Starz and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions and will air on Starz's television networks. The new series will be one-hour dramas that appeal to the Starz and international audiences. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions will produce the series, in close partnership with Starz's Original Programming team. The programs, to be announced at a later date, will be distributed by Starz in the United States and English-speaking Canada. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide will distribute the series internationally.
"When I came to Starz, we determined that forging strong international partnerships would play center stage in financing our ramp-up of dynamic original programming," said Chris Albrecht, Chairman and CEO of Starz, LLC. "This exciting partnership with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions is a major step in that direction. It will allow us to provide Starz subscribers more original programming, while delivering enhanced opportunity across all our domestic distribution businesses including Anchor Bay and Starz Digital Media. Jane Tranter, and the incredible teams at ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide will be terrific partners, and we are very pleased to be able to extend our relationship with them through this venture."
Commented Jane Tranter, Head of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions, "We're in a uniquely similar place to Starz. With Chris's arrival, Starz made a name in originals and is defining themselves as a true player in the U.S. premium cable territory. At ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions, we've hit our stride in the scripted business after starting these efforts just over two years ago. Working with Starz on Torchwood: Miracle Day has been a collaborative and invigorating journey. We're very much looking forward to bringing Starz' subscribers more of the programming they're coming to expect - intelligent, groundbreaking, and honest storytelling, which is synonymous with our ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ roots and values."
For Starz, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions, and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide, the partnership represents a new and innovative approach to developing, producing, distributing, and financing potentially more than 100 hours of globally appealing series. Both companies see significant strategic benefits from the globally focused approach.
"Our partnership with ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions and ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide allows Starz to more quickly capitalize on the strategic opportunity presented by the increasing global consumption of US premium TV series," added John Penney, Executive Vice President, Strategy and Business Development for Starz.
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions started its scripted efforts when Jane Tranter, former Controller of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Fiction, arrived to run the company in January 2009. Shortly thereafter Julie Gardner, former Head of Drama, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Wales, joined as SVP, Scripted, ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions. Tranter and Gardner have been responsible for a plethora of titles in their careers including Doctor Who, Torchwood, Little Dorrit, Bleak House, Girl in a Café, Ashes to Ashes and State of Play. Torchwood: Miracle Day is the first scripted series produced by ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions, currently in its first season on Starz. The company has over 20 scripted projects in sold development with various cable and network partners as well as 10 unscripted series currently in production.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Starz Entertainment
Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie and original programming entertainment service provider operating in the United States. The company offers 17 premium channels including the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® brands with approximately 18.8 million and 33.1 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs in total more than 1,000 movies and original series every month across its pay TV channels. Starz Entertainment is recognized as a pay TV leader in providing HD, On Demand, HD On Demand and online advanced services for its STARZ, ENCORE and MOVIEPLEX brands. Starz Entertainment () is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a controlled subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation and is attributed to the Liberty Starz tracking stock group (NASDAQ: LSTZA).
About ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions
³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions, led by Jane Tranter, is based in Los Angeles and develops and produces scripted and non-scripted projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as digital platforms. The production company is responsible for the smash hit Dancing with the Stars (ABC), Top Gear (HISTORY), What Not to Wear (TLC), Torchwood: Miracle Day (Starz) and the upcoming The Week the Women Went (Lifetime). ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide Productions sits within one of six core businesses that form ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Worldwide, the main commercial arm and wholly owned subsidiary of British Broadcasting Corporation (³ÉÈËÂÛ̳).
Christine Shaw
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