Hirsch promoted to Starz CEO
September 27, 2019
Lionsgate has announced that Jeffrey A. Hirsch has signed a new long-term deal as President and Chief Executive Officer of Starz.
As CEO, Hirsch will shape the overall business and programming strategy for Starz and oversee the continued evolution and expansion of the Starz premium subscription platform around the world.
Hirsch joined Starz four years ago, was promoted to COO in 2016 and has been running the network for nearly a year. Under his leadership, Starz increased its overall domestic subscriber base from 23.5 million to 24.7 million last year. Starz has more than 4.4 million domestic OTT subscribers with successful launches during the last year on Apple, Hulu, Roku, YouTube TV and an array of other platforms.
Hirsch has shepherded the launch of the Starz app in the US and orchestrated Starzplay’s rapid expansion into nearly 50 countries in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa as well as Canada. Starz plans to continue its international growth and expects to have as many as 15-20 million international subscribers by 2025.
“Jeff continues to lead Starz’s transformation into one of the world’s premier subscription platforms,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “He has a clear strategic vision, great understanding of where our business is headed and strong relationships that will all contribute to Starz’s continued strong growth and evolution.”
“I am excited to have the opportunity to lead Starz into the future alongside Jon and our team,” commented Hirsch. “Over the last several years Starz has been on the leading edge of innovation across our industry, transitioning to a digital world with the launch of our App and OTT business and most recently through the expansion of our global footprint. As our evolution continues, our remarkable line-up of premium original series and vast library of content will drive both our domestic and international growth as we look to capture new audiences and subscribers around the world.”