Get all the latest deals delivered to your inbox. Starz has apps for all the major mobile and streaming devices. To Starz, Netflix is another "affiliate" or distributor, which, given its tiny current online footprint does not pose meaningful competition to incumbent distributors. No longer. Subscribe to the CNET Now newsletter for our editors' picks of the most important stories of the day. CBS, Comedy Central, Disney, Liberty Media, Netflix, Starz, Verizon. "We're looking at different marketing promotions in the United States to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience," a Netflix spokeswoman said Tuesday. This past Wednesday, Starz, the Liberty Media-owned premium cable network, licensed its "Starz Play" broadband service to Netflix. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. And Disney Plus, as strong growth lifted its number of subscribers above its initial projections way earlier than expected, stopped offering free trials altogether in June. Very coincidentally I happened to be at Starz … What do you think? (for another example of this, see Comedy Central's licensing of Daily Show and Colbert to Hulu). Newer rivals tend to offer shorter free-trial periods, though some of Netflix's biggest, longstanding competitors still offer an introductory month free. Normally it costs $9 monthly, but for a limited time, you can subscribe to Starz for $5 a month for the first three months. It's FREE! To me, all of this adds up to at least a few things. Find more great buys on the CNET Deals page and check out our CNET Coupons page for the latest promo codes from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon and more. CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. Read more: How to choose which TV streaming service is best for you. Netflix free trials are still available in some select markets. This past Wednesday, Starz, the Liberty Media-owned premium cable network, licensed its "Starz Play" broadband service to Netflix.The three year deal makes all of Starz's 2,500 movies, TV shows and concerts available to Netflix subscribers using its Watch Instantly streaming video feature. Very coincidentally I happened to be at Starz yesterday for an unrelated Liberty meeting, and had a chance to speak to Starz CEO Bob Clasen, who I've known for a while, to learn more. Disney’s Streaming Pivot: How Will New Structure Work in Practice? 3 Months of Starz for $15 We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. With only about 17 million out of a total 100 million+ U.S. homes subscribing to Starz, broadband partnerships are seen as a sizable growth opportunity by the company. The other asks you to buy in for six months up front for $24.99, but the total cost is a little less per month than the first deal. Discuss: Add Starz to your streaming lineup for $5 a month (Update: Expired), How to choose which TV streaming service is best for you. As a raft of new rival services have launched in the last year, many set their free trial periods at a single week, including HBO Max and NBCUniversal's Peacock. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. Cable operators seem interested in the online rights, but have been reluctant to pay extra for them as Starz requires. For years, Netflix has offered new US customers a free month to try out the service. Aggregators, Cable Networks, Cable TV Operators, Devices, Telcos, Topics: You'll also find gems like Party Down and Friday Night Lights. Starz originally signed a five-year, $30-million-a-year contract with Netflix in 2008, reports VentureBeat. NEW YORK - Premium TV outfit Starz LLC said Thursday it has ended talks about a renewal of a streaming video deal with Netflix, which had been one of the most-discussed online content deals … First is that Netflix must be paying up in a big way to license Starz Play. I assume this is an obvious recognition by Netflix that it needed more content to make Watch Instantly more compelling (see also Netflix's recent Disney Channel and CBS deals). Meanwhile, the service offers a wealth of original series, including the hot new P-Valley. Discuss: Netflix ends free trials in the US after years of giving away first month, Every streaming service ranked: Disney Plus vs. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, HBO Max and Hulu. Consider expanding your streaming horizons with the Starz network. Netflix has ended free trials for new customers in the US, after years of giving away the first month of its service free. Other established apps like CBS All Access and Starzlimit their free trials to seven days too. Then there is the value-add/no extra cost nature of Netflix's Watch Instantly feature. That's the rate for your first three months, but you'll find plenty to binge along the way. Me, I'm interested in checking out Venom, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Little Women (2019) and Zombieland: Double-Tap. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? CNET editors pick the products and services we write about. As I've written in the past, cable channels, which rely on their traditional distributors for monthly service fees, have been super-sensitive to not antagonizing their best customers when trying to take advantage of new distribution platforms. At the moment, Starz is the only place to stream those titles -- a couple of which can't even be rented online. According to TV Week, the deal added 2,500 titles to the Netflix roster, including such beloved films … Read more: Get a month of CBS All Access for free. I see Netflix at the forefront of this disruptive process. That seems like a smart long-term bet as the broadband era unfolds. It's your choice! The three year deal makes all of Starz's 2,500 movies, TV shows and concerts available to Netflix subscribers using its Watch Instantly streaming video feature. The streaming service's US sign-up page said trials are no longer available, with Netflix instead touting how it lets you cancel anytime at no cost. Bob also noted that Starz's wholesale pricing was protected in its Netflix deal, and that for obvious reasons of not hurting its own profitability, Starz has strong incentives to preserve incumbent deal terms in all of its new platform deals. The end of free trials in the US was reported earlier Tuesday by TV Answer Man. Is this $5 deal good enough to get you to subscribe? © CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. After three months, you'll automatically start getting billed at the $9 rate -- unless you cancel. Netflix misses on subscriber additions and EPS, ViacomCBS Streaming Shakeup: Pluto TV’s Tom Ryan to Head New Global Division, Marc DeBevoise Steps Down, YouTube’s biggest kids show is about to take over streaming services, AT&T CEO blasts ‘bottlenecks’ created by Amazon, Roku impasses, U.K.'s ITV to Restructure Amid Rise of Streaming. Starz has apps for all the major mobile and streaming devices. This deal, which uses broadband-only distribution to reach into the home, no doubt triggers "over-the-top" or "cable bypass" alarm bells with incumbent distributors. Netflix, the world's biggest subscription video service with more than 192 million paying members, was increasingly an outlier among its rivals by offering a month-long free trial. Like most streaming services, Starz is home to some junk (Pluto Nash) and some gems (Spider-Man: Homecoming). CNET's Cheapskate scours the web for great deals on tech products and much more. Obviously you'll want to browse the library first and see if there's anything you'll want to watch. That there is no extra charge to subscribers for Starz's premium content (as there typically is when subscribing to Starz through cable for example) raises the question of whether Starz might have given better pricing to Netflix to get this deal done than it has to its other distributors. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. It's your choice! Since it's not charging subscribers extra, Netflix is making a bet that over time - and aided by its Roku and other broadband-to-the-TV devices - Watch Instantly will succeed and as a result, will drive down its costs by reducing the number of DVDs the company needs to buy and ship. © CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. Founded in 2007 by Will Richmond, a 20-year veteran of the broadband, cable TV, content and technology industries, VideoNuze is read by executive-level decision-makers who need to get beyond the standard headlines and achieve a deep understanding of online video’s disruptive impact. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. And while I agree that Starz Play on Netflix doesn't represent real competition to cable, telco and satellite outlets today, it's hard not to see it as a signal that traditional distributors are losing their hegemony in premium video distribution. VideoNuze is the authoritative online source for original analysis and news aggregation focused on the burgeoning online video industry. Netflix, the world's biggest subscription video service with more than 192 million paying members, was increasingly an outlier among its rivals by offering a month-long free trial. Hulu Showtime and Amazon Prime, however, still offer a month free to new subscribers. For the latest deals and updates, follow the Cheapskate on Facebook and Twitter. Further, Starz has been aggressively pitching online deals to cable operators and telcos for a while now, though only the latter has bit so far (Verizon's FiOS is an announced customer). (The latter is available free at IMDb TV right now, but with commercials.) (Note: CBS All Access and Showtime are owned by ViacomCBS, the parent company of CNET.). Find the answers on our FAQ page. But Bob is quick to point out that in reality, the Netflix deal is a continuation of Starz's ongoing push into broadband delivery begun several years ago with its original RealNetworks deal and continued recently with Vongo. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. When you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Even Netflix itself had already begun phasing out free trials elsewhere in the world, starting in Mexico two years ago. That's one of the best deals I can recall seeing. On the surface the deal is an eye-opener as it gives a non-cable/telco/satellite operator access to Starz's trove of prime content. Read more: Every streaming service ranked: Disney Plus vs. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Peacock, HBO Max and Hulu. Feel like you've seen everything Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime have to offer? Inside the Netflix-Starz Play Licensing Deal, Quibi and Snap are Moving in Opposite Directions in Mobile Video. As I've said for a while, over the long term, the inevitability of broadband all the way to the TV portends significant disruption to current distribution models. Categories: