Lionsgate and Starz Strike New Deal as Separation Gets Underway

 Lionsgate and Starz may be separating ways shortly, but it seems they will still be working together for a long while to come. Last week, they announced a new multi-year theatrical deal before their pending split. Blake & Wang P.A. entertainment attorney Los Angeles, Brandon Blake, fills in the details.

 

                                              Brandon Blake

 

Exclusive Rights

 

Under the new deal, Starz will retain its exclusive rights to theatrical films from Lionsgate, giving them the first pay-TV and SVOD windows for the properties. Interestingly, the window has been accelerated some, with films set to shift to the streaming service much closer to the theatrical release. Last year, Lionsgate’s SVOD window was in the 136-180-day range, and PVOD was 18-39. Starz also keeps its exclusive second window and has gained a third.

 

More Lionsgate Properties

Starz also gained expanded access to Lionsgate’s slate, taking almost 20 theatrical titles a year. This will include some of Lionsgate’s most coveted IPs, including Hunger Games and Now You See Me, as well as standalone titles.

 

Lionsgate itself has already had a big score in the January 2025 box office with Den of Thieves: Pantera. Many believe that Flight Risk, currently eyeing an $8M-$12M opening, will be its second. Clearly, despite their looming separation into two independent companies, Lionsgate and Starz are keen to keep an amicable working relationship alive.

 

While the split is still awaiting regulatory checks after its SEC filing, it is expected to close before the middle of this year. Premium Lionsgate films have been a cornerstone of Starz’s offerings, after all. And given that Lionsgate itself lacks a direct streaming pipeline, it seems that Starz will step into that role for them.

 

While the deal is unsurprising in itself, it’s certainly good to see an amicable and pretty much hiccup-free split underway. Now, we simply have to wait for the final regulatory processes to be approved.

 

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