SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Sept. 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz,
a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), has a lot to celebrate
following the Labor Day weekend, during which a new weekly
viewership record was set on the STARZ App, with minutes watched up
91%, 31% more subscribers viewing, and customer engagement 12%
above the previous high. This increased viewership was driven by
the highly-anticipated series premiere of "Power Book II: Ghost,"
the first new series in the "Power" Universe from executive
producers Courtney A. Kemp and
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Kemp also
serves as creator and showrunner on the series.
The premiere of "Power Book II: Ghost" on Sunday delivered
outsized performance on the Starz App in the first week after the
premiere, driving subscriber acquisition up 42% in addition to
viewership that was 36% higher than the final season premiere of
the original series, "Power" last summer. The premiere of "Power
Book II: Ghost" was also the top performing series across the
Starzplay International streaming platform in several markets
including the UK, France,
Germany, Spain and Brazil. Starzplay is now the official home
worldwide of the "Power" Universe.
STARZ ratings on Sunday, September
6 were up notably compared to the previous four weeks with a
78% lift in Total Day and 156% lift in Primetime and there was
significant growth across OTT platforms in addition to the App. As
of the end of last quarter Starz had 7.4M OTT subscribers domestically.
"Power Book II: Ghost" dominated social media on premiere night
ranking #1 most social premium cable series AND #1 most
social series on broadcast/cable/syndicated networks across all
live/new primetime episodes. "Ghost" also trended on Twitter that
night.
ABOUT "POWER BOOK II: GHOST"
"Power Book II: Ghost"
picks up shortly after the earth-shattering events of "Power" as
Tariq St. Patrick (Michael Rainey, Jr.) grapples with a new world
order: his father James "Ghost" St. Patrick is dead, and his
mother, Tasha (Naturi Naughton), is facing charges for his murder
-- even though Tariq pulled the trigger. To earn his inheritance,
Tariq has to navigate the rigors of an elite university doing twice
the work -- his and that of a high-profile member of the school's
basketball team. Truly on his own for the first time in his life,
Tariq is forced to split his time between school and hustling to
pay for Davis MacLean (Cliff "Method
Man" Smith), the fame-hungry defense lawyer who is Tasha's only
hope of getting out of jail and escaping prosecution by newly
minted U.S. Attorney Cooper Saxe
(Shane Johnson). With no better
options, Tariq turns to the familiar drug game, entangling himself
with a cutthroat family headed by Monet
Stewart Tejada (Mary J.
Blige). As Tariq tries to balance his drug operation with
his grades, love life, and family, he figures out that the only way
to avoid the same fate his father met is to become him — only
better.
"Power Book II: Ghost" is executive produced by series creator
and showrunner Courtney A. Kemp
through her company End of Episode and her overall deal at
Lionsgate Television and Curtis "50
Cent" Jackson through his G-Unit Film and
Television. Also serving as executive producers on the series
are Mark Canton through his
Atmosphere Entertainment MM, End of Episode's Chris Selak and Danielle
De Jesus, Shana Stein and
Bart Wenrich. Lionsgate TV produces
the series for STARZ.
Check out "Power Book II:Ghost" online Facebook
Page and follow @GhostStarz on Twitter
and @GhostStarz on Instagram. Join the conversation with
#PowerNeverEnds and #PowerGhost.
For more information about "Power Book II: Ghost" including
access to press materials and show assets, please visit the STARZ
Media Room: https://mediaroom.starz.com/
About Starz
Starz (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company
(NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B), is the global media company taking the lead
in streaming premium content that spotlights a spectrum of women
both in front and behind the camera for audiences worldwide. Starz
is home to the flagship domestic STARZ® service,
including STARZ ENCORE, 17 premium pay TV channels and the
associated on-demand and online services, as well as the
proprietary and highly-rated STARZ app. In 2018 Starz launched its
Starzplay international premium streaming platform and, coupled
with its Starz Play Arabia venture, has since expanded its global
footprint into fifty countries throughout Europe, Latin
America, Canada,
Japan and India. The essential complement to any
subscription platform, STARZ and Starzplay are available across
digital OTT platforms and multichannel video distributors,
including cable operators, satellite television providers, and
telecommunications companies around the world. Starz offers
subscribers more than 7,500 distinct premium television episodes
and feature films, including STARZ Original series, first-run
movies and other popular programming.
Press
Contacts:
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Lauren
Townsend
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Michelle
Portillo
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Starz
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Starz
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(424)
204-4072
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(720)
852-4063
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Lauren.Townsend@starz.com
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Michelle.Portillo@starz.com
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SOURCE Starz, a Lionsgate company