Starz has renewed its distribution agreement with Google-owned YouTube that will allow streamers to purchase a subscription to the premium movie service through that platform.
The deal, announced on Tuesday, allows YouTube to continue promoting Starz as an add-on option through its YouTube Primetime Channels marketplace and streaming cable television service YouTube TV.
Starz will also continue to be bundled in the “Entertainment Plus” package sold through YouTube TV, which also includes access to Paramount Plus with Showtime and Warner Bros Discovery-owned streaming service Max for $30 per month.
Additional bundle opportunities could launch in the future, the companies affirmed, without offering any additional details. Those bundles are likely to be YouTube-specific, and different from opportunities that Starz is pursuing on its own. Earlier this month, Starz announced it was launching a bundle that includes access to content from Britbox; YouTube does not sell Britbox subscriptions.
“We are excited to deepen our partnership with YouTube TV, the fastest-growing pay TV distributor,” Alison Hoffman, the President of Starz Network, said in a statement. “This partnership further enhances our ability to deliver Starz’s extensive collection of premium programming to broader audiences at an exceptional value.”
Starz currently costs $11 per month when purchased through YouTube TV or YouTube Primetime Channels — the same price that Starz charges customers who opt to purchase a streaming subscription through their platform directly. The premium movie brand offers hit shows like “Power,” “Outlander” and “Three Women,” as well as movies from former parent company Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM Studios, among others.
Earlier this year, executives at YouTube affirmed the company’s pay TV service has 8 million paid and free trial subscribers. Like other streaming cable replacements, the subscriber count is affected by seasonality, with higher churn during the summer months as premium sports like football and basketball are in their off season. (YouTube TV stopped offering MLB Network last year, an indication that baseball is viewed as less-important to the service’s programming strategy.)
YouTube TV is one element of YouTube’s overall subscription business, and is operated by Google, which is owned by Alphabet. On Tuesday, Alphabet revealed YouTube’s advertising and subscription revenue clocked in at $8.92 billion during the third financial quarter (Q3) of 2024. To date, YouTube’s subscription business has generated $50 billion in revenue, the company said.
