BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.,
Dec. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz
announced that STARZ PLAY, the authenticated online TV Everywhere
service for STARZ premium subscribers, has launched on Xbox
Live for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from
Microsoft and is in development for the new Xbox One. The launch
marks the first video game and entertainment console deployment for
the popular online service and the first extension directly to the
television. STARZ PLAY is available now in the United States as a free download for
Xbox Live Gold members in the Xbox Store.
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The company's other authenticated online services, ENCORE PLAY
and MOVIEPLEX PLAY, are also in development. Launches are
expected in the first half of 2014 on the Xbox 360 and will be
included as part of the company's broader Xbox One development
efforts.
"Teaming up with Xbox is an exciting new addition for STARZ
PLAY. The Xbox 360 app launch today offers tens of millions of
current and prospective STARZ subscribers an exciting way to enjoy
premium STARZ exclusive movies and originals on the TV, and we
pledge the incredible new Xbox One is a top priority for our 2014
development plans," said Michael
Thornton, Chief Revenue Officer of Starz. "With the
dynamic STARZ PLAY Xbox user interface, which includes full voice
and gesture support with Kinect, we have developed a tremendous new
vehicle for subscribers to enjoy the unmatched STARZ premium TV
experience on the television,"
Thornton continued, "The PLAY services have been well received
and are in great demand from our key multichannel distributors,
most having just launched in the past year. STARZ PLAY
– with its terrific combination of exclusive premium movies and
STARZ Original series offered on a wide range of devices and
platforms at no additional charge - exemplifies the new ways we are
adding value to the underlying premium STARZ subscription for the
benefit of consumers and our distributors."
Since launching in October 2012,
the PLAY service device support has grown significantly and is now
available on a wide array of platforms including PCs/Macs, and
devices including iPhone, iPad & iPod touch and several Android
handsets, tablets and other platforms including Kindle fire, Kindle
Fire HD, NOOK HD, NOOK HD+ and select Google Nexus devices
including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. For a complete list
of supported devices, please visit
assets.starzplay.com/devices.
STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY offer robust online
monthly access to approximately 1,500 of the premier movies,
originals, and additional TV episodes from the respective Starz
premium services. Provided at no additional monthly charge, the
three authenticated online PLAY services provide a suite of
easy-to-use, online viewing options for STARZ, ENCORE, and
MOVIEPLEX subscribers to enjoy the quality original programming and
commercial-free movies offered on the respective STARZ, ENCORE, and
MOVIEPLEX services.
STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY and MOVIEPLEX PLAY are accessible
through 3G/4G cellular, Wi-Fi, and broadband
connections. The PLAY services have a recommended
minimum required bandwidth of 1Mbps, and a minimum 2.5Mbps for an
optimal viewing experience. The STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and
MOVIEPLEX PLAY PC/Mac® interfaces are available at
www.starzplay.com, www.encoreplay.com, and www.movieplexplay.com
respectively.
More about the PLAY Services
STARZ PLAY offers approximately 400 monthly selections,
including 300 movies comprising first-run films from Disney
(Wreck-It Ralph, Oz the Great and Powerful, Brave)
and Sony (Zero Dark Thirty, Men in Black 3, Hotel Transylvania,
Evil Dead) and other great films from a wide selection of
Hollywood studios, and 100
episodes of exclusive STARZ Original series, including "The White
Queen," "Da Vinci's Demons, "Spartacus," "Magic City," and "Black
Sails" (premiering in January). ENCORE PLAY offers about 900
monthly selections, with 300 movies and select series (Here
Comes the Boom, Hope Springs, Hitch,
Good Will Hunting, Rush Hour, Back to the Future, Basic Instinct,
"Diff'rent Strokes," "Murphy Brown"). MOVIEPLEX PLAY (Little
Man, Starship Troopers, Seven Years in Tibet, The Fifth Element,
The English Patient, American Graffiti) offers additionally
about 200 movies every month.
With simple and intuitive layouts and designs, the STARZ PLAY,
ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY applications offer fun and easy
ways to enjoy the wide range of premium content offered on the
STARZ, ENCORE, and MOVIEPLEX channels and services.
Family members can "PLAY" everything from great family films to
the riveting action and intrigue of "Spartacus" and coming in
January 2014, "Black Sails," on many
new platforms in addition to television. Resume functionality
allows the user to seamlessly pick up from where they left off in
watching a great movie or TV show on any registered device in the
account.
Easy set-up of parental controls provides families with options
for limiting content accessibility. Menus, screens and
commands are optimized for touchscreens to provide a fun, but
efficient, means to drop down and swipe through the quality content
selection and viewership controls. Facebook and Twitter
integrations let fans talk about the latest episode of their
favorite STARZ Original series or big hit movie.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global
media and entertainment company with operating units that provide
premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay
television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution
(Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production
(Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription
video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV
networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to
U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators,
satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies.
As of September 30, 2013, STARZ and
ENCORE serve a combined 57.0 million subscribers, including 22.0
million at STARZ, and 35.0 million at ENCORE, making them the
largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and
ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX®, air
more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks,
complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings
through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz
Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content,
distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and
traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital
media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original
programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment
content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces
animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors
and audiences worldwide.
Contact:
Eric Becker
Starz
(720) 852-4065
eric.becker@starz.com
SOURCE Starz