Comcast And Lions Gate Reach Long-Term Deal

(RTTNews) - Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and Comcast Corp. reached a long-term deal to keep Starz pay-TV service airing on the cable giant's network.

Financial terms of the agreement between Comcast and Starz were not disclosed.

Comcast had announced its plans to stop carrying Lions Gate's Starz and Encore networks on its main bundle of channels.

"We are pleased that we were able to extend the partnership to Peacock and other businesses within Comcast while also ensuring Xfinity customers continue to enjoy great Starz programming," said Dana Strong, President of Consumer Services for Comcast Cable.

"We look forward to continuing our longstanding partnership with Comcast to deliver great content and great value to our customers," said Starz President and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch. "Our ongoing relationship with Comcast reflects our ability to unlock opportunities across all of our businesses to the benefit of our subscribers."

Under the new agreement, the STARZ flagship premium channel, as well as the STARZ ENCORE suite of channels -- including Encore, Encore Westerns, Encore Black, and Encore Action -- and related video on demand content will continue to be available to Xfinity customers with expanded distribution on the Comcast Flex platform and a path for an orderly transition to an à la carte business.

In return, Lions Gate agreed to license its television and film content to Comcast's streaming platform, Peacock, which launches next April.