Time Warner Cable taps into Starz Play and Encore Play

Many subscribers of Starz and Encore have known the joy of free, on-demand movies for some time now, but customers of Time Warner Cable are more likely accustomed to another feeling — one of exclusion. Fortunately, that all changes today, as Time Warner now provides access to Starz Play and Encore Play. The services are free to subscribers of the pay channels, and are accessible both over the web and via apps for Android and iOS. As it stands, Starz Play offers access to 400 titles (including 300 movies), while Encore Play offers somewhere in the neighborhood of 900 titles, 300 of which are movies. Signing into Starz Play and Encore Play is simply a matter of plugging in your Time Warner Cable ID, which is used for authentication with the Play system. Naturally, the latest announcement serves as a nice complement to TWC TV, and could also prove itself a worthwhile Plan B for times when Netflix is on the fritz.

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Starz, Encore and Movieplex Play apps arrive on Android

Starz, Encore and Movieplex Play apps arrive on Android

Starz Play has had a home on iOS since October, but now it’s made the jump to Android, and it’s brought Encore Play and Movieplex Play along with it. By wielding the apps, users can stream video from the TV network over WiFi and 3G — provided they have a cable subscription with AT&T U-verse, Cox, DirecTV or Verizon. Comcast customers aren’t entirely left out in the cold, however, as they can already catch content licensed from the television channel through the Xfinity website and apps. If you’re ready to get your fill of Starz flicks, hit the bordering source links for the downloads.

[Thanks, Artem]

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Via: Android Police

Source: Google Play (1), (2), (3)

Sony Pictures renews Starz exclusivity agreement, locks in until 2021

Sony Pictures renews Starz exclusivity agreement, locks in until 2021

Sony Pictures films from Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, TriStar, and Screen Gems will remain first-run exclusive to Starz-included cable packages through 2021, Sony Pictures and Starz announced this morning. The deal was previously set to expire with the closing of 2016’s box office, but Sony and Starz apparently were cozy enough to ink another five years on the contract; it’s unclear how much money changed hands to make this happen.

Starz boasts a sextet of films headed to its pay television channels this year from Sony Pictures, including The Amazing Spider-Man and Zero Dark Thirty — digital streaming services like Netflix have been stripping away many cable television first-run deals as consumers migrate to streaming services from traditional cable plans. Starz itself once pushed films to Netflix, but famously ended that deal in late 2011. Disney, however, recently signed just such a deal with Netflix, promising first-run exclusivity starting in 2016. And us, well, we just want a stable place to watch hit John Travolta vehicles like Wild Hogs and Battlefield Earth. Is that so much to ask?

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DirecTV Subscribers Can Now Get Starz and Encore on the Go

If you’re going to be doing a lot of traveling tonight to and from the homes of friends and family, you might be looking for some entertainment options to keep you occupied during a road trip. DirecTV has announced that its customers who subscribe to Starz and Encore now have access to the authenticated online streaming services for both pay channels. This means you can watch your favorite Starz or Encore programs or movies on the go.

starz play encore play

The Starz Play and Encore Play apps are available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch at no cost on the App Store. DirecTV subscribers can also stream content through Wi-Fi and broadband connections on their computer at StarzPlay.com and EncorePlay.com. Android users will get access to the applications in the future. DirecTV customers simply need to provide their account information to link their accounts and stream the content using the apps.

Encore Play promises about 900 different monthly selections including 300 movies and select original programming. Starz Play offers about 400 monthly selections including 300 movies, some of them being first-run titles. Starz also offers access to its original shows including the awesome Spartacus series.

Comcast Xfinity TV Player update adds downloads for offline viewing on iOS, Android

Comcast Xfinity TV Player update adds downloads for offline viewing on iOS, Android

Comcast has brought video on-demand streaming to subscriber’s mobile devices since early last year, but now an update has added the option to download (some) content for offline viewing. Arriving simultaneously on iOS and Android, the Xfinity TV Player apps support downloads from premium channels Showtime (which was also one of the first up for streaming when that launched), Starz, Encore and MoviePlex. We downloaded the app on both platforms and found it to work in similar fashion, assuming you’re already logged in (and have any of those channels in your package) the option to download is right next to the usual stream button with options available for two different levels of picture quality. The high quality option wasn’t quite HD quality to our eyes, but certainly passable for viewing on a flight or subway. We did run into a hiccup on Android however, with an “unknown error” stopping us from downloading files to our Galaxy S II running ICS. If there were more content available it would be a decent no-additional-hardware-needed matchup for solutions like TiVo’s Stream or DirecTV’s Nomad, while we wait for that you can get a taste of the apps for each platform at the source links.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Source: iTunes, Google Play

New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them

Starz Play authenticated streaming apps and website launch, but you might not need them

Earlier this year Starz pulled its online content library back from Netflix and now it’s relaunching the old Starz Play branded websites and apps (iOS and WiFi only for now, 3G and Android coming soon) for authenticated streaming, similar to HBO Go and Showtime Anytime. There’s also an Encore Play site, and it plans to launch one for its Movieplex channel in the future. Currently, the services only support logins from Cox cable subscribers, but if you’re not on that pay-TV provider you may not be missing out after all.

Starz has already licensed its content to providers like Comcast for streaming through its Xfinity website and apps, deals which it tells The Hollywood Reporter cover about 70 percent of its customers. Like HBO and Showtime, this probably is not a prelude to offering its service beyond the tethers of cable and satellite, but as exec Ed Huguez puts it, “it is an expression of (Starz’) brand and user interface.” That likely only applies domestically however, as Starz also announced it’s licensing its content to the cable-free HBO Nordic service, and one can see how building up its technology means it could serve up its own streams internationally some day. Even if you get Starz, if your provider is large enough to handle its own business when it comes to online services this probably won’t affect you. However, for customers on smaller cable companies or in the future when deals get renegotiated, you may have another app to add to your drawer for TV Everywhere-style viewing.

Continue reading New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them

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New Starz Play website and apps stream only to Cox customers, but you might not need them originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Oct 2012 10:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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