• by Wayne Friedman , March 28, 2016

Beginning April 5, Starz and its Encore suite of channels will undergo this marketing transformation. Starz intends to offer a “single master brand” -- the Starz brand name -- across Starz and and Encore networks.

A major tagline will be: “Starz: Obsessable.” 

Starz is partnering with Troika, a Hollywood-based branding and marketing agency, for this effort. One marketing area is focused around the idea of “understanding fans and fandom.”

In a recent study conducted by Troika, 85% of adults consider themselves to be fans of something, and 70% identify as fans of a TV series.

At the end of 2015, Starz had 23.6 million U.S. subscribers, with the Starz Encore network at 32.2 million subscribers. The new Starz service will represent up to 14 linear channels (11 in HD) and about 5,000 movie titles and television episodes every year, including nearly 2,200 movies. 

 Jeffrey Hirsch, president of global marketing and product planning, Starz, states: “Harnessing the power and resonance of the Starz flagship brand and bringing the expansive movie and television series offerings under one brand is good for the consumer and the distributor alike.”