STARZ PLAY Debuts On Xbox 360 For TV Viewing Of STARZ Original Series And Premium Movies; Xbox One Development Underway

STARZ PLAY Debuts On Xbox 360 For TV Viewing Of STARZ Original Series And Premium Movies; Xbox One Development Underway

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



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