Buyer Database · Buyer / Distributor · Updated
Starz
Starz is a premium cable and streaming distributor doubling down on wholly owned drama slates, culturally resonant urban storytelling, and international output licensing as it charts an independent post-Lionsgate path.
Current mandate
Starz is in an active slate-building phase, prioritizing wholly owned content as a strategic asset for international output licensing. The network's current posture reflects a deliberate push toward full ownership of its dramas, a move that gives it greater flexibility in licensing deals with global networks and streamers. Recent greenlight decisions signal that Starz is leaning into culturally specific, character-driven drama series, with an eye on both domestic premium audiences and international buyers hungry for distinctive American storytelling.
Over the past 12 months, Starz's acquisition and development pattern has centered on drama at the series level, with recent greenlights including Fightland, a drama set in the world of British boxing developed with G-Unit Film and TV, and an untitled black rodeo family drama structured as an 8x60-minute series. The network also acquired Minx, including its second season, adding a comedy-adjacent title to a slate that otherwise skews toward prestige drama. The ongoing creative relationship with Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and G-Unit Film and TV remains a defining thread, with the BMF universe and its planned spinoffs continuing to anchor Starz's culturally resonant programming identity, even after Jackson's exclusive overall deal was not renewed.
Material reaching Starz at the series level moves primarily through established producer relationships and packaging by talent companies and studios. The G-Unit Film and TV partnership illustrates the model: projects are developed through named production entities with existing network relationships. No open submission portal or named fellowship program is documented in tracked deal activity. Starz has also signaled opportunistic interest in acquiring "marooned" linear networks that fit its target demographic, suggesting a broader strategic appetite beyond individual title acquisitions.
Signature peaks
- Greenlit 2026 Wholly Owned Drama Push — Starz is expanding its slate of fully owned dramas, with the untitled black rodeo series and Fightland among the most recent greenlights.
- Ongoing G-Unit Creative Ties — Despite Jackson's exclusive deal not renewing, Starz and G-Unit Film and TV continue developing new projects including Fightland and the broader BMF universe.
- Multi-title deals International Output Focus — Starz is actively pursuing multi-title international output licensing agreements with networks and streamers globally as a core revenue strategy.
Mandate dimensions
- Genre focus
- drama, scripted originals
- Territory focus
- domestic
- Budget tier (observed)
- Not disclosed
- Access pattern
- Tracked deals at Starz flow primarily through established production company partnerships, with G-Unit Film and TV serving as the most documented example of a named creative entity with an ongoing development relationship. No open submission portal, fellowship, or named writer access program is documented in current deal activity.
- Deal structure
- Starz structures activity around greenlighting wholly owned drama series for its premium cable and streaming platform, and pursues multi-title international output licensing agreements with networks and streamers globally; the network has also signaled opportunistic interest in acquiring linear network assets that align with its target demographic.
Recent acquisitions
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Black Rodeo (untitled drama)
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Fightland
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Minx
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season two of the comedy Minx
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Untitled black rodeo drama
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Untitled black rodeo family drama (8x60')
Starz has is continuing to expand its slate of fully owned dramas by greenlighting an as-yet-untitled project set in the world of black rodeo.
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Untitled Texas Black Rodeo Drama
Market context
Starz is aggressively expanding its fully owned drama slate, greenlighting projects like Fightland and an untitled black rodeo family drama while deepening its creative ties with G-Unit Film and TV.
Aligns with industry trend of major streamers investing in diverse talent pipelines and HBCU-rooted storytelling communities
Common questions about Starz
Does Starz accept unsolicited scripts?
No unsolicited submission pathway is documented in tracked deal activity for Starz. Every project observed reaching the network has come through established production company relationships, packaging by talent firms, or named producer partnerships such as the G-Unit Film and TV arrangement. Writers seeking to place material at Starz are best positioned through a producing partner or representation with an existing network relationship.
What budgets does Starz typically work at?
Budget figures are not disclosed in Starz's recent greenlight announcements, including for Fightland and the untitled black rodeo drama. However, the network's focus on premium cable-quality, hour-long drama series, structured as multi-episode orders such as the 8x60-minute black rodeo project, suggests production investment consistent with prestige television rather than low-budget or micro-budget fare.
What festivals does Starz source from?
Tracked Starz deal activity does not show a pattern of festival-driven acquisitions for scripted series. The network's development pipeline appears to run primarily through producer relationships and studio partnerships rather than festival markets. Its acquisition of Minx is one of the few completed-project pickups in recent tracked data, and the sourcing route for that title is not specified in available records.
How do I get my script in front of Starz?
Based on observed deal patterns, the most documented route to Starz is through an established production company with an existing network relationship. The G-Unit Film and TV partnership is the clearest example: projects are developed collaboratively through named entities. No open call, writer's room portal, or fellowship program is documented. Attaching a producer with a Starz track record is the most visible pathway in current data.
What genres is Starz currently acquiring?
Drama is the dominant genre in Starz's current greenlight activity. Recent projects include Fightland, a drama set in the world of British boxing, and an untitled black rodeo family drama ordered as an 8x60-minute series. The network also acquired the comedy Minx, including its second season. Culturally specific, character-driven storytelling with strong community identity appears to be a consistent thread across the current slate.
Is Starz currently active in the market?
Yes. Starz recorded 164 total tracked signals over the past 12 months and has greenlit multiple projects in 2026, including Fightland and the untitled black rodeo drama. The network is also actively pursuing multi-title international output licensing deals with global networks and streamers, and has signaled interest in acquiring linear networks that fit its demographic. Strategic activity remains visible across development, production, and distribution fronts.
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