Hollywood film production company Lionsgate continues to invite interest in the potential sale of Starz Movie, its pay TV and streaming subsidiary. Among interested parties are thought to be Vivendi’s Canal +, Roku and Apollo Global Management jointly, and DirecTV.
Lionsgate acquired Starz in 2016 for $4.4bn but competition within the streaming sector has intensified in the intervening period and it may prove tricky to emulate that price. Starz has a more diverse and female oriented audience compared with the major streaming services. Its subscribers reached 20m by the close of 2021, a year in which the battle to acquire content was particularly fierce, with a target of 50m+ by 2025 although cancellation and churn have quickened in the whole sector this year.
