Starz Launches New HD Movie Networks

Starz Launches New HD Movie Networks

DIRECTV First Affiliate to Offer New Services With Package of Five Starz HD Movie Channels

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Starz Entertainment announced today the successful launch of its new High Definition (HD) premium movie channels, Starz Comedy HD, Starz Edge HD and Starz Kids & Family HD. The new HD offerings together with the flagship Starz HD channel constitute the largest package of premium HD channels currently available on television.

The three new channels are high definition East Coast feeds of the Starz Comedy, Starz Edge, and Starz Kids & Family. They join the flagship Starz HD channels, which are available in East and West Coast feeds. All five Starz HD offerings are presented in Dolby(R) Digital 5.1 surround sound, a powerful audio format that provides up to 5.1 separate channels of crystal-clear digital surround sound that brings entertainment to life.

Beginning today, the new channels, along with the flagship Starz HD channels, are available at no extra cost to DIRECTV's Starz(R) Super Pack subscribers with DIRECTV's newest generation of advanced HD set-top boxes and HD DVRs. DIRECTV is the first affiliate to offer the new channels to its subscribers.

   The Starz HD channels appear on DIRECTV as follows:    -- Starz Kids & Family HD:    Channel 518   -- Starz Comedy HD:           Channel 519   -- Starz HD (East):           Channel 520   -- Starz HD (West)            Channel 521   -- Starz Edge HD:             Channel 522    

Movies currently airing exclusively in True HD on the Starz HD channels and services include: Disney and Pixar's Cars, Scary Movie 4, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Gridiron Gang, and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Top HD titles coming soon include: Ghost Rider and The Pursuit of Happyness.

"We are delighted to be at the forefront of offering multiple HD channels to our affiliates and consumers," said Bill Myers, president and chief operating officer for Starz Entertainment. "We commend DIRECTV for being first to market in carrying all five of the Starz HD channels and meeting the growing consumer demand for quality HD programming.

Myers continued, "Leichtman Research Group research shows that 55% of people who have (or are interested in getting) HDTV are likewise interested in receiving premium networks in HD. Starz is meeting this growing demand in the HD marketplace with exclusive subscription movie programming. HD is a key part of the Starz business strategy and product mix -- both for linear channels and on-demand -- and we look forward to additional opportunities to bring even more movies to market in the future."

Starz Entertainment is the exclusive subscription television and broadband provider of first-run films from leading Hollywood studios including Walt Disney Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Overture Films, Revolution Studios, Miramax Films, Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Pixar, TriStar, Screen Gems, Sony Classics and Warren Miller Films. Select first-run theatrical films from The Weinstein Company, IFC and Yari Film Group are also available for subscription television and broadband exclusively on Starz Entertainment services. A vast collection of classic and favorite titles are provided by a wide array of other Hollywood studios.

Starz Entertainment, LLC, is a premium movie service provider operating in the United States. It offers 16 movie channels including the flagship Starz(R) and Encore(R) brands with approximately 16.1 million and 28.4 million subscribers respectively. Starz Entertainment airs more than 1,000 movies per month across its pay TV channels and offers advanced services including Starz HD, Starz On Demand and Vongo(R). Starz Entertainment (http://www.starz.com/) is an operating unit of Starz, LLC, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation that is attributed to Liberty Capital Group.

   Contacts:    Eric Becker                 Jade Ekstedt   Starz Entertainment         DIRECTV, Inc.   (720) 852-4065              (310) 964-3429   eric.becker@starz.com       jlekstedt@directv.com    Dolby is a registered trademark of Dolby Laboratories.  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Starz Entertainment, LLC

CONTACT: Eric Becker of Starz Entertainment, +1-720-852-4065,
eric.becker@starz.com; Jade Ekstedt of DIRECTV, Inc., +1-310-964-3429,
jlekstedt@directv.com

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Profile: International Entertainment