Avail-TVN Aligns With Starz

NEW YORK -- Avail-TVN®, the largest independent digital media services company in North America, today announced a comprehensive long term video-on-demand (VOD) services deal with Starz Entertainment, LLC, making Avail-TVN the company’s preferred VOD distributor.

The agreement expands the amount of content available for subscribers of Starz On Demand, Encore On Demand and MoviePlex On Demand to as much as 650 hours of content (350 titles) in standard definition (SD) and 111 hours of content (56 titles) in high definition (HD), depending on the customer’s cable provider. It also makes Starz Entertainment, LLC, one of the largest purveyors of VOD content, and particularly HD VOD content, in the United States.

“As Starz Entertainment continues to expand its content, we constantly look for new ways to deliver movies and our original programming to our viewers across the United States,” said Edward Huguez, Executive VP of Affiliate Sales and Marketing of Starz Entertainment. “By expanding our relationship with long-time partner and industry leader Avail-TVN, we can broaden our distribution and dramatically grow our amount of VOD content while continuing to provide our customers with the best programming around.”

Subscribers now have access to even more content than ever before, with much of it available in HD, including hits such as Hancock; Vantage Point; You Don’t Mess with the Zohan; Wall-E; The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian; Step Brothers; National Treasure: Book of Secrets; Pineapple Express and High School Musical 3: Senior Year as well as Starz Originals such as ‘Crash,’ ‘Head Case’ and ‘Party Down.’

“We’re thrilled to have signed this long-term agreement with Starz Entertainment,” said Matt Cohen, SVP of Strategy and Business at Avail-TVN. “This deal is a clear indicator that consumer demand for VOD continues to grow and is stronger than ever before. Avail-TVN is well positioned to meet these demands and premium channel providers such as Starz Entertainment realize this.”

The agreement also opens the door for Starz Entertainment to utilize the full range of VOD services offered by Avail-TVN, including metadata publishing, distribution and asset management services to support various codecs, formats, fast turnaround requirements, distribution platforms, and advertising initiatives across North America. Starz Entertainment will also utilize Avail-TVN’s interactive web-based asset tracking and management toolset Provider Remote Interface (PRI) which allows for live updates to its VOD programs via automated metadata conversions, and provides for a broad array of services including appending, encoding/transcoding, delivery and asset management services. Avail-TVN will also be offering the new and expanded packages directly to its affiliates, as an extension of its affiliate sales network program.

Avail Media Inc.

Starz Entertainment LLC