 | |
 Starz Entertainment's headquarters at 1647 Stewart Street inSanta Monica, California | |
| Starz Entertainment | |
| Formerly | Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation (1997–2024) |
| Company type | Public |
| |
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | July 10, 1997; 27 years ago (1997-07-10) inVancouver,British Columbia,Canada |
| Founder | Frank Giustra |
| Successor | Lionsgate Studios (film and TV businesses) |
| Headquarters | 1647 Stewart Street,Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Services | |
| Revenue |  US$4.017 billion (2024) |
 US$−939 million (2024) | |
| US$−1.12 billion (2024) | |
| Total assets |  US$7.093 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$−311 million (2024) |
Number of employees | 1,717 (2024) |
| Divisions |
|
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | starz |
| Footnotes / references Financials as of fiscal year ended March 31, 2024[update]. References:[1][2] | |
Starz Entertainment (formerly known asLions Gate Entertainment Corporation) is a Canadian-Americanentertainment company currently headquartered inSanta Monica, California. It was founded byFrank Giustra on July 10, 1997, and domiciled inVancouver,British Columbia, being incorporated there.[2]
Prior to 2024, the then-named Lionsgate owned film and television studios under its own umbrella. They have since been spun off intoLionsgate Studios, of which Starz owns 87%.
Lionsgate was formed in 1997 by Frank Giustra, whose $16 million investment was augmented by $40 million from investors including Keyur Patel and Yorkton Securities' executives such asG. Scott Paterson.[3] Giustra had recently retired as CEO from Yorkton, an investment bank, and Paterson was then president. Giustra then merged Lionsgate withToronto Stock Exchange-listed Beringer Gold Corp. (founded in 1986) to take the company public. Beringer's mining assets were soon sold off.[4][5][6]
Lionsgate then began a series of acquisitions to get into the film industry. The company bought a number of small production facilities and distributors, starting withMontreal-basedCinépix Film Properties (which became the present-dayLionsgate Films) andNorth Shore Studios (which became known as Lions Gate Studios, until its acquisition in 2006) in Vancouver, British Columbia. Mandalay Television was acquired by Lionsgate fromPeter Guber for a 4% Lionsgate stake.
In 1998, Lionsgate helped Guber formMandalay Pictures with a 45% investment in Mandalay. Lionsgate followed that up with a June purchase of International Movie Group, Inc. (IMG), a bankrupt film distributor previously invested in by Guber and Yorktown Securities, for its film library. IMG's CEO Peter Strauss became President of Lions Gate Entertainment, Inc. (LGE), the American parent company for Lionsgate's U.S. interests.[5] The Lions Gate Media subsidiary was also formed to produce for television.[5]
Completing its first year of operation, Lionsgate had a revenue of $42.2 million with a loss of $397,000. The company share price dropped to a low of $1.40. This limited the corporation's ability to make acquisitions via stock swaps. Lionsgate instead made its next acquisition of Termite Art Productions, a reality-based television production company, for $2.75 million by issuing three convertible promissory notes. Giustra had the shareholders vote to move the company's public listing from the Toronto Stock Exchange to theAmerican Stock Exchange, along with a two-for-one stock consolidation to qualify, for greater exposure that might boost share value.[5]
In January 1999, Roman Doroniuk was named president and chief operating officer of Lionsgate, which led to the corporation's financial operations being moved in April to Doroniuk's offices inToronto,Ontario while corporate headquarters remained inVancouver, British Columbia. Lionsgate created US based Avalanche Films and acquired half ofSterling Home Entertainment, both in video sales. Again, Lionsgate registered losses in its second year of $9.3 million on revenues of $78.3 million with most of the losses from its stake in Mandalay Pictures. Thus in the summer, Lionsgate placed its studios up for sale with no buyers. TV operations were changed to non-network hourlong series over riskier network shows and ended its relationship with Mandalay Television. The corporation sought out more capital and cash with a filing of a preliminary prospectus for the sale of preferred stock and common stockwarrants and a $13.4 million line of credit.[5]
Additional acquisition funding arrived in January 2000 as a $33.1 million investment from an investor group that includedPaul Allen, formerSony Pictures executiveJon Feltheimer, German broadcasting company Tele-Munchen, andSBS Broadcasting SA. This led to Feltheimer taking over as CEO from Giustra thus the passed over Doroniuk left the company. Feltheimer increased film making including several $1 million films at Avalanche. However, Federgreen still remains one of the major owners of the company and is extremely involved in the making of all their major movies. In June, Lionsgate acquiredTrimark Holdings, Inc. for approximately $50 million in stock and cash including taking on $36 million in debt.[5]
Lionsgate continued making acquisitions during the decade to boost distribution and its film library. On December 15, 2003, Lionsgate acquiredArtisan Entertainment for $220 million.[7] Following the acquisition, Lionsgate relocated fromMarina del Rey to Artisan's headquarters in Santa Monica. In 2004, Erik Nelson reacquired Termite Art from Lionsgate, renaming it Creative Differences.[8]
Lionsgate partnered with Panamax Films in 2005 to make movies for the Latino market which only produced two films.[9] On April 13, 2005, Lionsgate spun off its Canadian distribution unit into a new distribution unit calledMaple Pictures under the direction of two former Lionsgate executives, Brad Pelman and Laurie May.[10][11][12] On August 1, 2005, Lions Gate Entertainment acquired the entire library of Modern Entertainment, the U.S. film division of theSwedish television companyModern Times Group.[13][14] On October 17, 2005, Lionsgate acquired UK companyRedbus Film Distribution for $35 million[15][16][17] and becameLionsgate UK on February 23, 2006.[18][19]
On March 15, 2006, Lionsgate sold Lions Gate Studios to Bosa Development Corporation.[20] On July 12, Lionsgate purchasedDebmar-Mercury, an independent television distributor, which has continued operations as a Lionsgate subsidiary.[21] The company agreed in August to lease terms withNew Mexico State Land Office and the city of Rio Rancho for a new 52.8 acres studio near Rio Rancho's under construction city center and arena.[22]
On July 26, 2007, Lionsgate bought a partial stake in independent film distribution companyRoadside Attractions.[23] Lionsgate started up Lionsgate Music by June 2007.[24] On September 10, 2007, Lionsgate boughtMandate Pictures for $56.3 million, $44.3 million in cash and $12 million in stock, and taking on $6.6 million of Mandate's debt. Mandate Chief Executive Joe Drake returned to the company as co-chief operating officer of its film unit.[25]
By July 2008, Lionsgate has not made any progress on building its new film studio in Rio Rancho or on setting up the corporation to run the studio per its agreement with New Mexico.[26] In November, Lionsgate Music established a joint venture with music publishing companyWind-up Records.[27]
In January 2009, Lionsgate purchasedTV Guide Network andTVGuide.com fromRovi for $255 million cash.[28] In May 2009, Lionsgate sold a 49% stake inTV Guide Network and website toOne Equity Partners under pressure from shareholderCarl Icahn.[29]
Lionsgate cut back its slate of films per year by four in February 2009. In April,Relativity Media signed with Lionsgate for a 5 picture per year multi-year film distribution.[30] In August, Lionsgate signed withRedbox for a five-year same day release deal worth $158 million.[31] Lionsgate, along withMGM andParamount Pictures/Viacom, was also a co-owner ofEpix, a pay TV movie channel which debuted on October 30.[32][33]
On September 13, 2010, Lionsgate andTelevisa formed ajoint venture,Pantelion Films, to produce for the next five years eight to 10 films a year targeted for the U.S. Latin American market.[9]
Lionsgate sold off its Canadian distribution unit,Maple Pictures, in September 2011 toAlliance Films.[34]
Lionsgate announced on January 13, 2012, that it had acquiredSummit Entertainment, producers and distributors of theTwilight Saga films, for $412.5 million.[35] The two companies have planned on merging since 2008.[36] On October 6, 2012, Lions Gate Entertainment announced that Brian Goldsmith became the co-COO of the company and joining co-COO Steve Beeks.[37] On November 18, 2012, Lionsgate announced it has passed over the $1 billion mark for the first time with the success ofThe Hunger Games andThe Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.[38]
On December 23, 2013, Lionsgate announced they have crossed over $1 billion domestically and internationally for the second year in a row with the success ofThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire,Now You See Me,Instructions Not Included, andKevin Hart: Let Me Explain.[39][40]
On April 14, 2014,Comcast acquired the remaining stakes inFearnet from Lionsgate andSony Pictures Entertainment.[41] On April 21, 2014, Lionsgate announced that they will merge its movie marketing operations.[42] A few days later, on April 30, Lionsgate announced that the studios will expand into the gaming development.[43]
In 2015, Lionsgate took over the distribution functions forCBS Films, the film division ofCBS Corporation.[44]
On February 11, 2015,John C. Malone swapped a 4.5% stake with 14.5% of the voting power inStarz Inc. for 3.4% of Lionsgate's shares while joining the company's board of directors.[45][46] Fourteen days later, Starz CEO Chris Albrecht hinted a possible merger with Lionsgate.[47]
On April 1, 2015, Lionsgate announced it has created its new label,Lionsgate Premiere. This new label will handle up to 15 releases a year, targeting young audiences at theaters and digital outlets. The new label, part of the company's diversification effort, will incorporate Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment titles (including theStep Up film series and theRed film series) and then specialize in "innovative multiplatform and other release strategies" to reach "affinity audiences with branded content and targeted marketing." Marketing and Research SVP Jean McDowell will handle marketing, with distribution to be run by Adam Sorensen, who currently manages Western Sales.[48]
On November 10, 2015, Malone's two other companies,Liberty Global andDiscovery, Inc. (nowWarner Bros. Discovery), made a joint investment of $195–400 million in Lionsgate and acquired a 3.4% stake in the company.[49][50][51][52][53] Then on June 30, 2016, Lionsgate agreed to acquireStarz Inc. for $4.4 billion in cash and stock.[54] As of December 2016, it became the parent company of Starz Inc.[55]
On November 12, 2015, Lionsgate created a partnership with television producerCraig Piligian when the studio acquired more than 50% of hisPilgrim Studios company worth $200 million. Piligian retained his position as CEO of the company while Pilgrim will continue to operate independently under Piligian.[56][57][58] The deal made Lionsgate a major unscripted player.[56]
On July 13, 2016, Lionsgate acquired a minority stake in British unscripted television production startup company Primal Media. It was launched by Matt Steiner and Adam Wood, who originally launchedGogglebox Entertainment that was acquired bySony Pictures Television.[59]
AT&T also owns an approximately 2% stake in Lionsgate.[60]
On December 15, 2017, the weekly US financial newspaperBarron's revealed that Malone was selling nearly 108,000 class B shares in Lionsgate for $3.2 million, or $29.63 each, from December 4 to 13. Malone now owns directly and indirectly 6 million nonvoting class B shares, as well as beneficially about 6 million class A shares, which carry one vote each.[61]
Followingsexual abuse allegations against producer Harvey Weinstein, Lionsgate was listed as one of 22 potential buyers interested in acquiringThe Weinstein Company.[62][63]
In 2018, Lionsgate's newly launched digital content unit, Studio L, announced its first slate.[64] In October 2018, Agapy Kapouranis replaced Peter Iacono as president of international television and digital distribution.[65]
In January 2018, Lionsgate became the subject of abidding war for a possible acquisition, withComcast andSony Pictures having made offers.[66][67][68] At the time, Lionsgate Vice ChairmanMichael Burns stated in an interview withCNBC that Lionsgate was mostly interested in merging with CBS and Viacom.[68] Viacom and Lionsgate were both interested in acquiringThe Weinstein Company.[62]
On February 27, 2018, a month after the bidding war announcement,Variety reported in a detailed article that toy manufacturing companyHasbro (which had collaborated with the company in the 2017 filmMy Little Pony: The Movie via itsAllspark Pictures theatrical film financing unit which is in turn owned by itsAllspark division) came close to also acquiring Lionsgate, but the deal fell through. Hasbro would later go on to acquireEntertainment One (eOne; another Canadian-founded business) from Hasbro on December 30, 2019.[69]
On October 3, 2019, Malone completed the sale of his stake in the studio.[70]
In April 2021, Lionsgate's Starz division filed an injunction in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico againstThe Walt Disney Company over the use of theStar+ brand in Latin America.[71] The two companies would reach a settlement in August that same year.[72]
In July 2021, Lionsgate purchased an 18.9 percent equity stake inSpyglass Media Group and acquired the catalogue ofThe Weinstein Company from Spyglass.[73]
From January 2023, Lionsgate entered a movie distribution deal with Cineplex Pictures, a subsidiary of Toronto-basedCineplex Entertainment which will see the release of selected Lionsgate titles in Canada.[74]
In July 2023,Deadline reported that Lionsgate was a frontrunner to acquireEntertainment One from Hasbro.[75] In August 2023, Lionsgate announced it would acquire the motion picture and television assets of Entertainment One from Hasbro for $500 million. Included among the assets are the trademarks ofMaple Pictures, which Lionsgate divested toAlliance Films in 2011. The studio is expected to also pay $375 million in cash and $125 million in production financing loans related to the purchase.[76] The acquisition was completed on December 27, 2023,[77] and eOne would later rebrand as "Lionsgate Canada" the following year; re-establishing Lionsgate's Canadian roots.[78]
In December 2023, Lionsgate revealed its plan to split its film and television assets from Starz following the completion of the company's acquisition of eOne. The company's Studios division will merge with Screaming Eagle Corp., aspecial-purpose acquisition company led by Eli Baker, to form a separate publicly traded company,Lionsgate Studios. The transaction sets a $4.6-billion value on Lionsgate Studios and the deal was closed on May 7, 2024. The company was launched on May 14, 2024 and it has been trading onNasdaq via the stock symbol LION. Lionsgate will remain the controlling shareholder owning around 87% of Lionsgate Studios following the split.[79][80]
On November 28, 2024, Lionsgate rebranded to Starz Entertainment to distinguish itself from Lionsgate Studios.[81]
Lionsgate Interactive Ventures and Games is thevideo game development division of Starz Entertainment.[82] It was founded in April 2014 and is headed byNerdist Industries co-founder Peter Levin. This division is dedicated to producing and distributing multiplatform games based on Lionsgate franchises, and investing in digital businesses. One of these franchises wasBlair Witch, with Lionsgate Games publishing aBlair Witch game in 2019.[83]
Lionsgate Entertainment World is an indoor interactive experience centre based on Lionsgate's blockbuster film franchises, such asThe Hunger Games,The Divergent Series andNow You See Me, opened onHengqin, Zhuhai, China in the first half of 2019. The Lionsgate project is an investment by Hong Kong conglomerateLai Sun Group and designed and produced byThinkwell Group.[84]
In 2008, Lionsgate formedCelestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE) withSaban Capital Group andCelestial Pictures. CTE oversees the distribution rights of Lionsgate properties inGreater China andSoutheast Asia.
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The distribution of selected recent non-in-house films for pay-per-view and on-demand are under the supervision ofNBCUniversal Syndication Studios viaUniversal Pictures (Universal formerly held home video and television rights to many of the early Lionsgate films), while all others (particularly the in-house films) are distributed for both cable and broadcast television through Lionsgate's syndicated division.
Amazon MGM Studios, underMGM Television, are also distributed in international cable, digital and broadcast television through Lionsgate's syndicated division.
Starz's main outlet isStarz, apremiumcable andsatellitetelevision network andstreaming service that also includes sister channelsStarz Encore andMoviePlex.
In addition to the "Sphere" family of channels ("MovieSphere by Lionsgate", "OuterSphere by Lionsgate", "HerSphere by Lionsgate"), Lionsgate also operates other streaming services andFAST channels through various partnerships. In a joint venture withEbony Media Group, the company programs the "Ebony TV by Lionsgate" channel.
In 2015, Lionsgate formed a joint venture withTribeca Enterprises to launch the "Tribeca Shortlist" streaming service and "Tribeca Channel" FAST channel.
In 2017, Lionsgate partnered with comedianKevin Hart to launch theLOL Network.
In 2023, Lionsgate,Warner Bros. Discovery, andGray Television formedFree TV Networks.
Board of Directors as of July 2021:[85]
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Directors
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