IRVINE, Calif.—Vizio has launched a new bundled app on its TV that gives viewers access to the vast selection of movies and TV shows in the Starz and AMC+ libraries for $13.99 a month, a significant discount from the $20.98 per month it would cost to subscribe to the two services separately.

“We are thrilled to offer the incredible entertainment from AMC+ and Starz at an amazing price with this subscription bundle,” Katherine Pond, group vice president of platform content and partnerships at Vizio, said. “Our team is driven by a passion to deliver value for customers, and offering this type of benefit with a Vizio Account is one more way we do that.”

To take advantage of the new app bundle, customers can click on the Apps menu item from the left-hand navigation on their Vizio TV and then select the “Bundles” tab. After they’ve completed the subscription process, customers can view and manage all their subscriptions in one convenient location within Vizio Account.

“We’re excited to partner with Vizio to provide high-quality, bold programming at exceptional value,” Starz Networks President Alison Hoffman said. “Our slate of hit originals targeting women and underrepresented audiences and expansive collection of movies make Starz an ideal complement to any bundle offering. Bundles like this elevate the streaming experience for customers and enable us to broaden our reach across connected devices.”

For more information, visit Vizio.com.

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Interra Systems has announced that its long-time customer Starz has upgraded its caption generation and quality control workflows to the latest version of the Interra’s BATON Captions solution.

Starz made the move as part of an effort to streamline its English-to-Spanish captioning process. The newest version of BATON Captions has enhanced caption quality and helped the network detect and correct shift and drift errors more efficiently, the two companies said.

“Interra Systems’ BATON Captions has been instrumental in streamlining our captioning workflow,” Dan Stowell, director of programming operations at Starz, said. “BATON Caption's speech-to-text feature significantly reduces the time and effort required for creating accurate captions, which helps us meet the growing demand for multi-language content.”

BATON Captions uses cutting-edge machine language (ML) and automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology, allowing Starz to address caption-related requirements such as generation, postproduction editing and content localization. Harnessing the power of ML and ASR, BATON Captions ensures precise captioning every time. The automated solution includes a user-friendly web-based player and advanced reporting, with feedback on caption quality and more, Interra reported.

"For the past two years, we've proudly collaborated with Starz, delivering an innovative captioning solution that supports their global content strategy," said Ashish Basu, executive vice president of global sales and business development at Interra Systems. "Our BATON Captions solution, powered by machine learning and ASR technology, ensures high-quality captions and seamless audio compliance for Starz."

More information about Interra Systems solutions can be found at interrasystems.com.

Netflix and Amazon Prime are the most popular OTT/streaming services, according to media research firm Parks Associates. Hulu, HBO Now and Starz round out the top 5.

The top 10 services are:

1. Netflix

2. Prime Video Users (Amazon Prime)

3. Hulu (SVOD)

4. HBO Now

5. Starz

6. MLB.TV

7. Showtime

8. CBS All Acess

9. Sling TV

10. DIRECTV Now

“Which company is the leading OTT video subscription service remains a topic of debate,” said Brett Sappington, Senior Director of Research, Parks Associates. “According to our estimates, Amazon has more Prime Members than Netflix has subscribers. However, when you consider only those Prime Members that use Prime Video, Netflix is the largest. Hulu remains the third largest but continues to grow its subscriber base.”

With pay-TV subscribers continuing to cut the cord, alternatives like so-called “skinny bundles”--OTT services that offer a smaller, more select lineup of channels--are becoming more popular, as represented by Sling TV and DIRECTV Now in the top 10. Similar services include Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and PlayStation Vue. Online pay TV has been one of the fastest growing segments in the OTT video space, with aggressive marketing by all, according to Parks.

“HBO, Starz, Showtime, and CBS All Access demonstrate the powerful attractiveness of original content through series like Game of Thrones and Star Trek: Discovery,” Sappington said. “This pattern suggests new services such as WarnerMedia’s DC Universe and the forthcoming streaming service from Disney could achieve success quickly.”

The top subscription sports OTT video services are MLB.TV, WWE Network, and ESPN+. MLB.TV continues to lead the sports OTT subscription category, benefiting from its long tenure as a streaming service and popularity among dedicated baseball fans. ESPN+ is a newcomer to the OTT video marketplace but recently announced that it had exceeded 1 million subscribers.

Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker tracks the content offerings, business strategies, and subscription numbers for OTT services in North America. Additional data from these services:

• OTT video subscription penetration has reached 64% of U.S. broadband households. Over two-thirds of these households subscribe only to one of the top three services, Netflix, Prime Video, or Hulu.
• 36% of broadband households subscribe to two or more OTT video services.
• The online pay-TV audience is similar to the OTT audience—they are younger and quicker to adopt new technologies when compared to traditional pay-TV households.
• Over the past three years, OTT churn rates have gradually fallen each year from 31% of OTT subscriptions cancelled each year in 2015 to 28% in 2018.

WASHINGTON—NAB’s Content and Communications World is bringing the Starz, as executives from the cable network and members of the creative team from its show ‘Power’ are scheduled to speak at the upcoming convention.

‘Power’ creator and executive producer Courtney Kemp Agboh and Starz senior vice president of production Melissa Harper will sit down for a conversation to provide an inside look at the risks and rewards in producing a drama series, as well as offer insight into the creative and logistical processes behind producing a series set in New York City.

Agboh’s credits include shows ‘The Good Wife’ and ‘The Bernie Mac Show.’ ‘Power’ is preparing for its third season on Starz, all of which Agboh has served as the showrunner for.

In addition to ‘Power,’ Harper has overseen production on Starz shows including ‘Black Sails,’ ‘Outlander,’ ‘Da Vinci’s Demons,’ ‘Boss’ and ‘Spartacus.’

CCW 2015 will take place at the Javits Convention Center in New York from Nov. 11-12. Agboh and Harper’s panel is scheduled to take place on Nov. 11.