Starz Hopes iTunes Movie Deal Adds To Small, But Growing VOD Revenue

Sunshine Cleaning

Most people may know the Starz brand for its multiplex premium channels. That’s Starz Entertainment. But sibling Starz Media also is in the movie programming and distribution biz with Overture Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment, and Manga Entertainment, a mix of original and library films, many available on Playstation. Xbox/Zune and *Amazon*, but not for rental on iTunes until today. Timed to coincide with the VOD window opening for Sundance Film Festival nominee Sunshine Cleaning, iTunes is now offering a starter pack of the Starz titles for download-to-own and rental. The eclectic mix includes recent theatrical and direct-to-video titles, among them Rob Zombie’s The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, classic horror film The Hills Have Eyes, and anime movies, including two Hellboy titles.

TV programming from Starz Entertainment has been on iTunes for a year. When I asked Marc DeBevoise, Starz Media SVP of digital media, business development and strategy, why the movies took so long, he said, “It

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