close
Jump to content

Lionsgate+

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Lionsgate Play)

Lionsgate+
BERJAYA
Type of businessSubsidiary
Type of site
OTT platform
Available inArabic, Urdu, English, Indonesian, Korean, Mandarin, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri
HeadquartersUnited States,
America
Area servedAustralia, United States, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Bangladesh, Yemen, Djibouti, Canada, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait
OwnerStarz Entertainment
ProductsVideo streaming
URLwww.lionsgateplus.com
starzplay.com
lionsgateplay.com
CommercialYes
Users2.5 Million for Starzplay (As of 2026)
14.8 Million for Lionsgate+ (As of 2026)
37 Million for Lionsgate Play (As of 2023)
LaunchedApril 2, 2015; 11 years ago (2015-04-02)
Current statusActive

Lionsgate+ (previously Starzplay),[1] or also known as Starz (in the United States of America and Canada), Starzplay Arabia & Starz On (in the MENA region), Lionsgate Play (in the Southeast Asia region) is an International subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Starz Entertainment for viewers outside North America.

History

[edit]

Development and Launch

[edit]
BERJAYA
Starzplay logo

The original incarnation of Starzplay was a website and mobile app that featured original programming and feature film content from Starz available for streaming in standard or high definition. It was available to Starz subscribers of Verizon FIOS,[2] AT&T U-verse,[3] Cox Communications,[4] Xfinity by Comcast[5] and DirecTV[6] until it was merged with Starz.com on April 5, 2016. The former incarnation of the Starzplay online service (which is structured as a TV Everywhere-style service) was launched on October 8, 2012, with the release of the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch app[7] until they were merged with Starz.com on April 5, 2016.

The Starzplay name was borrowed from a prior service offered in conjunction with Netflix. It was created in 2008 after the subscription streaming service struck an agreement with Starz Entertainment to allow Netflix to sub-license rights to films from distributors that maintain output deals with the linear Starz channel for online viewing – in lieu of acquiring the digital distribution rights on its own, due to the expense of acquiring newer film titles – as Netflix was considered to be merely a "content aggregator". Because Netflix chose to sub-license digital rights through Starz instead of negotiating with the studios, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures threatened not to renew its output deal with Starz unless it either discontinued its deal with Netflix or paid Disney a licensing fee for digital streaming rights to its films (Netflix ended up assuming rights to most film releases by Walt Disney Studios from Starz in 2016).[8][9]

Starzplay (as a Netflix service) was first made available to Starz subscribers of the Verizon FiOS television service.[10] Starz content (including most of its original programming and series content that the channel acquired through domestic and foreign distributors) was made available on Netflix's "Watch Instantly" platform. It was the third subscription video-on-demand online streaming service operated by Starz: Starz Ticket operated from 2004 to 2006, under a joint venture between Starz Entertainment and RealNetworks.[11] Starz launched Vongo, a separate online movie service for subscribers, which operated from 2006[12] until it was discontinued on September 30, 2008.[13]

On September 1, 2011, Starz announced that it would not renew its streaming agreement with Netflix, which ended on February 28, 2012; movie titles that are available on DVD from Sony Pictures, Disney and other studios that maintain pay-TV distribution deals with Starz were not affected and can be acquired from Netflix by this method.[14] With the expiration of the Netflix deal, film content from studios with which Starz maintains broadcast rights were no longer available for online streaming, particularly as Netflix and certain similar services such as Vudu did not have separate streaming rights to films from these individual studios. Prior to the beta launch of its Starz Online service (which became Starzplay upon its official launch), Starz announced on November 18, 2011, that it was developing a streaming application for mobile devices, allowing the network's subscribers – and in early reports, speculation that possibly non-subscription television subscribers would be allowed as well – to view Starz's series and film content.[15] The app was released on October 9, 2012, for Apple's iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and on May 7, 2013, for Android devices.[4][16] An app for authenticated subscribers for the Xbox 360 was released on December 3, 2013,[17] followed by a similar app for the Xbox One on August 5, 2014.[18]

Launch of Starzplay Arabia, international expansion and rebranding

[edit]

Starzplay Arabia was the first Starz-branded service to be localized outside the United States, launching on April 2, 2015, in 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, breaching those territories before its biggest competitor in media streaming being Netflix.[19][20] Starzplay Arabia remains available even as the U.S. version of the service has been discontinued.[21] In 2018, the service became available in Pakistan, as a joint venture between Cinepax, a cinema chain in Pakistan, and Lionsgate's StarzPlay Arabia.[22][23] In 2019, Starzplay was launched in Brazil and Europe (France, Germany, Ireland, Spain and the United Kingdom).[24][25] In 2020, it became available in Argentina, Chile, and Italy.[26][27] In March 2022, a 57% majority stake in Starzplay Arabia was acquired by a consortium, led by e& (formerly known as Etisalat) and the Abu Dhabi-based investment group ADQ. The deal was valued at $420m.[28] In January 2021, Starzplay Arabia signed a deal with Abu Dhabi Media, which allows subscribers to watch UFC fights and events live.[29]

In several countries, Lionsgate+ is provided through partnerships with cable services, such as Vodafone in Spain, Movistar TV in Argentina, IndiHome in Indonesia and PLDT Home in the Philippines or within Apple TV as well.[30][31][32][26]

On September 28, 2022, Lionsgate announced the international Starzplay service would be rebranded as Lionsgate+ the following day in most countries,[1] eliminating much of the conflict between Lionsgate and Disney's Star brand. The Starzplay Arabia and Lionsgate Play services would not be affected at that time, while Starz in the U.S. and Canada merely rebranded with a new version of the "STARZ" logo.[33]

In November 2022, it was announced that Lionsgate+ was ending operations in the markets of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Benelux, the Nordics, and Japan before the end of the company's fiscal year.[34]

In August 2023, Lionsgate announced that Lionsgate+ would leave Latin America on December 31, 2023.[35] In November, the shutdown date was changed to December 11, 2023,[36] while customers who have accessed Lionsgate+ through Amazon Prime Video would have continued to access streaming until February 9, 2024.

On November 4, 2023, Lionsgate announced that Lionsgate+ would cease its operations in the UK in early 2024.[37] On December 19, it was confirmed that the shutdown date would be on February 29, 2024.[38]

On November 14, 2024, Lionsgate+ became available in New Zealand as an add-on subscription via Amazon Prime Video.[39]

On January 13, 2026, Lionsgate sold Lionsgate Play's Indian and Southeast Asian operations to the streaming service's president Rohit Jain for an undisclosed sum. As part of the transaction, Jain left Lionsgate and secured a multi-year licensing agreement to use the Lionsgate name for the service as well as access to catalog content for the streamer.[40]

On April 9, 2026, Lionsgate+ became available in the United States as an add-on subscription via Amazon Prime Video.[41]

Programming

[edit]

Lionsgate+ original programming

[edit]
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Exclusive region(s) Language
Express Thriller January 16, 2022 2 seasons, 16 episodes 60 min Spain & Latin America[a] Spanish
Señorita 89[b] Drama February 27, 2022 1 season, 8 episodes 40–45 min Latin America Spanish
All Those Things We Never Said[c] Comedy drama December 15, 2022 1 season, 10 episodes 30 min Europe and Latin America French
Nacho Biopic dark comedy March 3, 2023 1 season, 8 episodes 50 min Latin America Spanish

Starzplay Arabia original programming

[edit]
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Exclusive region(s) Language
Kaboos[42] Horror drama 9 February 2023 1 season, 5 episodes 24 min MENA Arabic
The Chamber[43] Psychological drama 22 June 2023 1 season, 13 episodes 44–54 min
Million Dollar Listing: UAE[44] Reality show 15 September 2023 2 seasons, 21 episodes 48–54 min
Carz on Starz[45] 18 December 2023 1 season, 6 episodes 48–54 min
The Promise[46] Historical drama 11 January 2024 1 season, 8 episodes 48–54 min
Unstoppable: The Italian Dream[47] Reality show 28 November 2024 1 season, 7 episodes 48–54 min
Coffeecature[48] Animation 1 March 2025 2 seasons, 61 episodes 1 min
Kharej An Al Maalof[49] Drama 20 August 2025 1 season, 8 episodes 40 min
Hareem Al Jarrah[50] 21 September 2025 1 season, 11 episodes
Maa Joelle[51] Reality show 20 February 2026 1 season, 30 episodes

Starzplay by Cinepax original programming

[edit]
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Exclusive region(s) Language
Khel Tamasha[52] Comedy drama 14 May 2021 1 season, 5 episodes 38–40 min Pakistan Urdu
Karachi Division[53] Action drama 21 September 2021 1 season, 6 episodes
Mumkin[54] 18 March 2022 1 season, 9 episodes

Lionsgate Play original programming

[edit]
Title Genre Premiere Seasons Runtime Exclusive region(s) Language
Hiccups and Hookups Comedy drama 26 November 2021 1 season, 8 episodes 38–40 min India Hindi
Jugaadistan 4 March 2022 40 min
Feels Like Home 10 June 2022 2 seasons, 12 episodes
Minus One Romantic comedy 14 February 2023 32 min

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Season 2 only aired in Latin America.
  2. ↑ Co-production with Pantaya.
  3. ↑ Co-production with Canal+.

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 Goldbart, Max (28 September 2022). "Starz To Rebrand As Lionsgate+ Outside U.S. And Canada". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  2. ↑ "Verizon FiOS Launches STARZ PLAY And ENCORE PLAY Authenticated Online Services" (Press release). PR Newswire. 25 February 2013. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Heater, Brian (18 December 2012). "AT&T U-verse gets Starz Play, Encore Play and Movieplex Play access". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  4. 1 2 Lawler, Richard (9 October 2012). "New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  5. ↑ Baumgartner, Jeff (19 May 2014). "Comcast Opens Up To Starz Play". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  6. ↑ Crum, Chris (21 December 2012). "DirecTV Gets Starz Play And Encore Play". WebProNews. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  7. ↑ Szalai, Georg (8 October 2012). "Starz Launches Online Viewing Options for Subscribers in Deal With Cox". The Hollywood Reporter. Guggenheim Digital Media. Archived from the original on 24 May 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  8. ↑ Lietdke, Michael (4 December 2012). "Netflix to stream newer Disney movies". USA Today. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  9. ↑ "Why Netflix Won't Be the HBO of the 21st Century". Defamer (Blogs on Demand). Newstex LLC. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.[dead link]
  10. ↑ "Verizon First to Offer Starz Entertainment's New 'Starz Play' Broadband Video Service". PR Newswire. 27 May 2008. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  11. ↑ Chmielewski, Dawn C. (14 June 2004). "Subscription Service Offers Downloaded Rental Movies". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
  12. ↑ Gentile, Gary (4 January 2006). "Starz to offer download movie service for portable devices". Napa Valley Register. Lee Enterprises. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 November 2020. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  13. ↑ " "Vongo dies, very few notice".
  14. ↑ "Starz, Netflix end renewal talks". WTHI-TV. LIN Media. Associated Press. 2 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
  15. ↑ InstantJoseph (18 November 2011). "Starz making streaming app, might not require cable subscription". The Verge. Vox Media. Archived from the original on 17 April 2015. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  16. ↑ Santos, Alexis (7 May 2013). "Starz, Encore and Movieplex Play apps arrive on Android". Engadget. AOL. Archived from the original on 17 August 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  17. ↑ Spangler, Todd (3 December 2013). "Starz Hops Aboard Microsoft's Xbox". The Hollywood Reporter. Guggenheim Digital Media. Archived from the original on 11 January 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  18. ↑ Baumgartner, Jeff (5 August 2014). "Starz Plays On The Xbox One". Multichannel News. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  19. ↑ Starz PR (1 April 2015). "STARZ PLAY Arabia Launches on April 2nd in 17 Countries: New, Premium Content Direct-to-Consumer Subscription Video Business for Middle East & North Africa Markets". Starz Inc. Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  20. ↑ Vivarelli, Nick (1 April 2015). "Starzplay Arabia marks the first Starz-branded service outside the U.S." Variety. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Company - StarzPlay". Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  22. ↑ "Dubai's StarzPlay inks deal with Pakistani cinema chain". Arabian Business. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "StarzPlay partners with Pakistani cinema chain Cinepax". Arab News. Saudi Research and Marketing Group. 3 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "Starzplay, o de cómo Movistar, HBO y Amazon le han dejado a Orange las migajas del canal". El Español (in European Spanish). 31 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  25. ↑ Clarke, Stewart (25 November 2019). "Starz Launches Streaming App in Five International Markets, Plans 20 More". Variety. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Movistar incorpora Starzplay a su oferta de contenidos". Newsline Report (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  27. ↑ "STARZPLAY, la nueva App de streaming premium para España e Italia | Cine y Tele" (in European Spanish). 13 March 2020. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  28. ↑ Layton, Mark (17 March 2022). "Starzplay Arabia acquired by pay-TV operator E-Vision & ADQ in $420m deal". TBI Vision. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  29. ↑ "StarzPlay signs deal to livestream UFC across the Mideast". Arab News. 14 January 2021. Archived from the original on 24 April 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2021.
  30. ↑ "StarzPlay, la nueva plataforma de streaming que desembarca en Argentina". www.clarin.com (in Spanish). 30 May 2019. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  31. ↑ "Vodafone presenta una nueva propuesta de televisión más flexible en la que el cliente solo contratará lo que quiera ver". Vodafone España (in Spanish). 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
  32. ↑ "Lionsgate Play". IndiHome (in Indonesian). 8 January 2023. Archived from the original on 8 January 2023. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  33. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (28 September 2022). "Lionsgate to Focus on Spinoff of Studio Business, Rebrands Starz Outside of U.S." The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  34. ↑ Hazelton, John (4 November 2022). "Lionsgate pulls streaming service from seven international markets". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  35. ↑ "Lionsgate Plus anuncia saída do mercado de streaming da América Latina em 2023" [Lionsgate Plus announces exit from the Latin American streaming market in 2023]. TudoCelular.com (in Portuguese). 12 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  36. ↑ "Lionsgate+ antecipa fim dos serviços no Brasil e AL" [Lionsgate+ anticipates end of service in Brazil and LatAm]. Além da Tela (in Portuguese). 29 November 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  37. ↑ Goren, Or (4 November 2023). "End Of An Era: Lionsgate+ Is Shutting Down In The UK". Cord Busters. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  38. ↑ Goren, Or (19 December 2023). "Lionsgate+ Sets UK Shutdown Date And Refund Details". Cord Busters. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  39. ↑ Watson, Melanie (14 November 2024). "Prime Video introduces add-on subscriptions in New Zealand". ITBrief New Zealand. Archived from the original on 13 November 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  40. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (13 January 2026). "Lionsgate Sells Streaming Platform Lionsgate Play in India, Southeast Asia to Founder Rohit Jain". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 January 2026. Retrieved 20 April 2026.
  41. ↑ "What is Lionsgate+? Prime Video Adds New Streaming Option - Streaming Smarter". 9 April 2026. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
  42. ↑ "Starzplay Announced Its First Arabic Series 'Kaboos'". Holrmagazine. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
  43. ↑ "STARZPLAY Unveils Key Art and First Look Images for Arabic Series "The Chamber"". DestinationKSA. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  44. ↑ "Million Dollar Listing UAE debuts on Starzplay". 1 September 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  45. ↑ "StarzPlay announces exclusive original series 'Carz on Starz'". Broadcastprome. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  46. ↑ "STARZPLAY is set to release its original epic historical drama "The Promise" Inspired by Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah on January 11, 2024". GDNlife. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  47. ↑ "STARZPLAY's Latest Original, "Unstoppable: The Italian Dream," Wins". DestinationKSA. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  48. ↑ "Watch Coffeecature For Free". Starzplay. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  49. ↑ "Watch Kharej An Al Maalof For Free". Starzplay. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  50. ↑ "Watch Hareem Al Jarrah For Free". Starzplay. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  51. ↑ "StarzPlay rolls out free Ramadan lineup featuring originals and exclusives". Broadcastprome. Retrieved 25 February 2026.
  52. ↑ "STARZPLAY's original web series Khel Tamasha directed by Jawad Bashir will be out this Eid". Imagesdawn. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
  53. ↑ "Why you should watch Shamoon Abbasi's Karachi Division streaming in UAE". Khaleejtimes. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  54. ↑ "New Faysal Quraishi Web Series titled Mumkin To be Released Soon on STARZPLAY". Nexttvc. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lionsgate%2B&oldid=1362245530"