Verizon FiOS Launches STARZ PLAY And ENCORE PLAY Authenticated Online Services

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. and NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon and Starz announced today the launch of the STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY authenticated online services for Verizon FiOS TV's STARZ and ENCORE customers. The STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY services offer portable and online access to the best of the STARZ and ENCORE exclusive movies and originals premium programming at no extra charge.

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STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY apps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch are available as free downloads from the App Store. The STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY PC/Mac® interfaces are available at www.starzplay.com and www.encoreplay.com. Verizon's FiOS TV customers also can access the online programming at www.verizon.com/tvonline. STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY are U.S. services and accessible currently through Wi-Fi and broadband connections. Cellular connectivity and support for Android phones/tablets and gaming consoles are expected to be launched in the future.

"We are delighted to further enhance the great entertainment value that FiOS offers with the addition of STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY for our customers," said Terry Denson, Vice President of Content Strategy and Acquisition for Verizon. "Complimentary portable and online viewing of premium content is a great way to increase the value of our customers' subscriptions and we are very pleased to work with Starz to help deliver the best value for our FiOS customers."

"Starz is very pleased that Verizon FiOS is the latest addition to its growing list of PLAY distribution partners. STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY offer a simple and intuitive design in concert with a terrific complement of movies and original programming that greatly enhances the value proposition of the premium subscriptions," said Ed Huguez, President of Affiliate Distribution for Starz. "The STARZ PLAY and ENCORE PLAY services are enjoying a warm and enthusiastic reception from our distribution partners and their subscribers and we look forward to more rollouts and service enhancements throughout the year."

More about the PLAY Services
STARZ PLAY offers approximately 400 monthly selections, including 300 movies comprising first-run films from Disney (Brave, The Muppets) and Sony (The Amazing Spider-Man, Men in Black 3) and other great films from a wide selection of Hollywood studios, and 100 episodes of exclusive STARZ Original series, including "Spartacus," "Magic City," and "Da Vinci's Demons" (April 2013).  ENCORE PLAY offers about 900 monthly selections, with 300 movies and select series (Cars 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, "Titanic: Blood and Steel").

Easy set-up of parental controls provides families with options for limiting content accessibility.  Menus, screens and commands are optimized for touchscreens to provide a fun, but efficient, means to drop down and swipe through the quality content selection and viewership controls. Facebook and Twitter integrations let fans talk about the latest episode of their favorite STARZ Original series or big hit movie. 

For the latest news, updates and information about FiOS TV, visit www.verizon.com/newscenter  and http://www.verizon.com/athomeblog.

About Verizon
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with more than 98 million retail connections nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with nearly $116 billion in 2012 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of 183,400. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of September 30, 2012, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 55 million subscribers, including 21 million at STARZ, and 34 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks' third flagship brand, MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon's online News Center at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

SOURCE Starz; Verizon FiOS

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