The clock is ticking on negotiations between Starz and Altice over distribution, which is set to expire at midnight Sunday.
Partnership between the satellite network and Altice, the Euro-based telecoms company that acquired Cablevision in 2016, has run aground, with Starz saying, “Altice is demanding a totally unreasonable agreement unlike anything that has previously existed in our 20-year partnership.”
Altice counters, attributing the negotiation stalemate to Starz’s declining viewership on its systems and their increase in programming costs.
“Since our last contract renewal, Starz began offering a direct to consumer streaming service, which drastically changes the value proposition their network provides us and our customers,” Altice said in a statement.