Starz Entertainment

Netflix Inc., the largest U.S. mail-order movie service, will give its customers access to Starz Entertainment's subscription-based movie service at no extra cost. The deal with Starz helps Netflix expand its offering of movies and television episodes that can be played online, the Los Gatos, Calif., company said. Netflix members will get access to about 2,500 movies and other choices from Starz's Play service as well as the more than 12,000 items that are already available to them.

Netflix stock dropped nearly 9% on Friday as investors sold shares after news that the online video company would lose content from its most prominent supplier of new movies, Starz Entertainment. The breakdown in talks between the companies, announced Thursday, means that movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures controlled by premium cable channel Starz will not be available when the two companies' agreement expires at the end of February. The dispute erupted over how much money Starz wanted from Netflix for its content and how much consumers would be charged.

Starz Entertainment said Monday it will co-produce an original television series based on the movie "Crash," which won three Oscars -- including best picture -- in 2006. Key contributors to the film, including director, co-writer and producer Paul Haggis, will help create the 13 one-hour episodes, which are scheduled to start production in the spring and air later this year, said Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president of programming for Starz Entertainment. Lionsgate ("Mad Men," "Weeds")

In a blow to the fast-growing online video company, Netflix users will soon lose access to new movies from two of Hollywood's biggest studios. Premium cable network Starz Entertainment said Thursday that it will end a distribution agreement that provided Netflix's streaming Internet service with movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures that have included "Tangled," Alice in Wonderland," and "The Karate Kid. " The surprising news...

Starz Entertainment, which this month launched its first original drama series, "Crash," on Monday revealed plans for its second: "Spartacus," an action show about the gladiator who led a rebellion of slaves in 73 BC. The story was famously made into a big-screen epic in 1960, with Kirk Douglas in the title role, but Starz made no mention of that Oscar-winning film in its announcement, saying instead that the series was inspired by the actual events...

In a blow to the fast-growing online video company, Netflix users will soon lose access to new movies from two of Hollywood's biggest studios. Premium cable network Starz Entertainment said Thursday that it will end a distribution agreement that provided Netflix's streaming Internet service with movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures that have included "Tangled," Alice in Wonderland," and "The Karate Kid. " The surprising news...

Netflix stock dropped nearly 9% on Friday as investors sold shares after news that the online video company would lose content from its most prominent supplier of new movies, Starz Entertainment. The breakdown in talks between the companies, announced Thursday, means that movies from Walt Disney Studios and Sony Pictures controlled by premium cable channel Starz will not be available when the two companies' agreement expires at the end of February. The dispute erupted over how much money Starz wanted from Netflix for its content and how much consumers would be charged.

Starz Entertainment, among the first premium movie channels to embrace Internet distribution, will now offer its online service in the same way it offers its films -- through cable, satellite and telecommunications companies. Liberty Media Corp.'s Starz group said Tuesday that Verizon Communications Inc. would offer the Starz Play online video subscription service to its 8.5 million high-speed Internet customers. The service is similar to Vongo, the stand-alone movie service that Starz launched in 2006, only $4 cheaper.

"Spartacus: Gods of the Arena" is a prequel born of adversity. That's the way Lucy Lawless describes the six-episode series that begins Friday night on Starz. In it, Lawless will reprise her role as the scheming Lucretia with John Hannah returning as her husband, Batiatus, providing a back story to last year's surprise hit, "Spartacus: Blood and Sand. " The prequel was dreamed up at the last minute as a way to bide time after Spartacus himself ? actor Andy Whitfield ? was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Liberty Media Corp. posted a first-quarter loss of $26 million, or 1 cent a share, contrasted with net income of $254 million, or 9 cents, a year earlier. Englewood, Colo.-based Liberty's QVC home-shopping network sales climbed 7% to $1.56 billion, yielding an operating profit of $212 million, up 6% from a year earlier. The Starz Entertainment Group division had sales of $259 million, up from $254 million. Operating profit at the unit fell 8% to $33 billion.

Starz Entertainment, which this month launched its first original drama series, "Crash," on Monday revealed plans for its second: "Spartacus," an action show about the gladiator who led a rebellion of slaves in 73 BC. The story was famously made into a big-screen epic in 1960, with Kirk Douglas in the title role, but Starz made no mention of that Oscar-winning film in its announcement, saying instead that the series was inspired by the actual events...

Netflix Inc., the largest U.S. mail-order movie service, will give its customers access to Starz Entertainment's subscription-based movie service at no extra cost. The deal with Starz helps Netflix expand its offering of movies and television episodes that can be played online, the Los Gatos, Calif., company said. Netflix members will get access to about 2,500 movies and other choices from Starz's Play service as well as the more than 12,000 items that are already available to them.

Starz Entertainment, among the first premium movie channels to embrace Internet distribution, will now offer its online service in the same way it offers its films -- through cable, satellite and telecommunications companies. Liberty Media Corp.'s Starz group said Tuesday that Verizon Communications Inc. would offer the Starz Play online video subscription service to its 8.5 million high-speed Internet customers. The service is similar to Vongo, the stand-alone movie service that Starz launched in 2006, only $4 cheaper.

Starz Entertainment said Monday it will co-produce an original television series based on the movie "Crash," which won three Oscars -- including best picture -- in 2006. Key contributors to the film, including director, co-writer and producer Paul Haggis, will help create the 13 one-hour episodes, which are scheduled to start production in the spring and air later this year, said Stephan Shelanski, executive vice president of programming for Starz Entertainment. Lionsgate ("Mad Men," "Weeds")

Starz Entertainment, which operates 16 premium movie channels, announced Thursday that it also will offer original series programming next year, including a stand-up comedy showcase that will be hosted by Doug Williams and executive produced by Martin Lawrence.

Liberty Media Corp. said it would repurchase up to $1 billion of its stock. Liberty said it expected to launch the share offer within the next week to repurchase Liberty Capital common stock at $105 to $115 a share, a premium of between 1.2% and 9% based on Tuesday's closing price. The company controlled by cable television pioneer John Malone also said operating results at its QVC home shopping channel and Starz network rose in the fourth quarter. QVC's fourth-quarter revenue rose 7% to $2.