Starz Unlikely To Launch Netflix-Style OTT Service Anytime Soon, CEO Says

Many people are “betting on television over the Internet, and we’re betting on television over the Internet,” Starz CEO Chris Albrecht told a Goldman Sachs investor conference in New York when asked about his company’s ambitions in over-the-top video delivery. “We think the premium channels -- Starz being one of only a few -- are really well positioned to thrive in that changing landscape,” Albrecht said. “We see more opportunities than we see challenges.” But it’s unlikely Starz would introduce a Netflix-style service anytime soon, he said. “I don’t really see in any near future that I can foresee a direct-to-consumer product” from Starz, he said. “To just go out and put together a marketing plan to start to sell a stand-alone video service” is very expensive, he said. “Netflix built it on the back of their DVD business, and I don’t know what would have happened had they just gone out and licensed a ton of rights” to launch a stand-alone OTT service cold, he said.