SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Sept. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --
Reflecting strong recent gains in Starz's programming slate,
distribution footprint and subscriber acquisition, global content
leader Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) today announced
that Jeffrey A. Hirsch has signed a new long-term deal as
President and Chief Executive Officer of STARZ.
As CEO, Hirsch will shape the overall business and programming
strategy for Starz and oversee the continued evolution and
expansion of the STARZ premium subscription platform around the
world.
Hirsch joined Starz four years ago, was promoted to COO in 2016
and has been running the network for nearly a year. Under his
leadership, Starz increased its overall domestic subscriber base
from 23.5 million to 24.7 million last year and continued the rapid
growth of one of the industry's most successful domestic OTT
businesses. Starz already has more than 4.4 million domestic OTT
subscribers with successful launches during the last year on Apple,
Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV and an array of other platforms.
Hirsch has shepherded the launch of the STARZ app in the U.S.
and orchestrated STARZPLAY's rapid expansion into nearly 50
countries in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa as well as Canada, making STARZ one of the world's
leading pure-play subscription platforms. Already ahead of
schedule, Starz plans to continue its rapid international growth
and, as previously announced, expects to have as many as 15-20
million international subscribers by 2025.
"Jeff continues to lead Starz's transformation into one of the
world's premier subscription platforms," said Lionsgate CEO
Jon Feltheimer. "He has a clear
strategic vision, great understanding of where our business is
headed and strong relationships that will all contribute to Starz's
continued strong growth and evolution."
"I am excited to have the opportunity to lead Starz into the
future alongside Jon and our team," commented Hirsch. "Over the
last several years Starz has been on the leading edge of innovation
across our industry, transitioning to a digital world with the
launch of our App and OTT business and most recently through the
expansion of our global footprint. As our evolution continues, our
remarkable line-up of premium original series and vast library of
content will drive both our domestic and international growth as we
look to capture new audiences and subscribers around the
world."
Hirsch recently announced that STARZ delivers the highest
composition of female viewership in premium cable, and the network
continues to build on its success with a focused strategy of
developing and producing premium programming that appeals to women
and other traditionally under-served African-American, Latinx and
LGBTQ audiences. Under his leadership, Starz continues to deliver a
deep slate of original hit series including "Power," a top-rated
premium pay series for African-American audiences and over 10
million multi-platform views per episode and "Outlander," a
perennial ratings favorite among women.
Hirsch also recently greenlit three new series written and/or
executive produced by women including a reimagined "Dangerous
Liaisons," the third season of "The Girlfriend Experience" and the
dark comedy "Shining Vale." The network is also preparing the
launch of "Power Book II: Ghost," starring Mary J. Blige in a lead role, the first of
several "Power"-inspired series that include a prequel shepherded
by "Power" creator and showrunner Courtney
A. Kemp and executive producer Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson as Starz continues to expand the
"Power" Universe into a year-round viewing experience.
Hirsch has played a key leadership role at Starz since joining
the company in July 2015 as President
of Global Marketing and Product Development. Since Lionsgate's
acquisition of Starz in December
2016, Hirsch has played a lead role in integrating Starz
into the Lionsgate family and exploring opportunities for the two
companies' combined suite of OTT offerings.
Prior to joining Starz, Hirsch served as Executive Vice
President and Chief Marketing Officer, Residential Services at Time
Warner Cable.
Hirsch was recognized in 2012 as the sole recipient of the
Vanguard Award for Young Leadership and twice ranked by
Forbes for his executive talents and influence in marketing
and social media.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the
University of Pennsylvania and a
Masters of Business Administration from The Amos Tuck School at
Dartmouth College.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Peter Wilkes
Lionsgate
310-255-3726
pwilkes@lionsgate.com
Lauren Townsend
STARZ
424-204-4072
Lauren.townsend@starz.com
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SOURCE Starz, a Lionsgate company