STARZ Announces $1 Price Increase to $9.99 per Month, Just in Time For New Season of ‘Outlander’
STARZ Announces $1 Price Increase to $9.99 per Month, Just in Time For New Season of ‘Outlander’
Cycling is a behavior all streamers are trying to avoid these days. As the cost of subscription video streaming creeps up, many users find themselves deciding to simply sign up for a service to watch a single show or movie, then canceling once they’re finished to avoid being billed again.
As a smaller streaming service, STARZ is more susceptible to cycling than some of its bigger siblings in the streaming market. It does not have a large back-catalog of shows that users are comfortable and familiar with to keep them occupied while they wait for a new season of their favorite show to be released.
That’s likely a big reason that STARZ timed the announcement of its new price increase when it did. STARZ customers have taken to social media noting that the price of their service was rising from $8.99 to $9.99 per month, and the change would take effect during their June billing cycle. Users currently on a free trial will see the changeover reflected once their trial is complete.
This $1 jump in monthly subscription costs is a modest one, but it brings STARZ into price parity with some of the more expensive streaming services out there. It’s now only $1 cheaper than ad-free Disney+, and it’s the same price as both Peacock and Paramount+ charge users to stream without ads. It may cause consumers to start questioning the value of STARZ, as the service has nowhere near the library of those other streaming platforms.
The new price change comes as STARZ and its linear cable channel cohort Starz are preparing to debut the latest season of “Outlander.” Season 7 of the show will premiere on Friday, June 16, and its 16 episodes will be split into two parts. The second block of Season 7 episodes will premiere in 2024, so customers hoping to see the entire season at once on STARZ will be disappointed.
Outlander
The story of Claire Randall, a married combat nurse from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743, where she is immediately thrown into an unknown world where her life is threatened. When she is forced to marry Jamie, a chivalrous and romantic young Scottish warrior, a passionate affair is ignited that tears Claire’s heart between two vastly different men in two irreconcilable lives.
The price increase is likely intended to capture the most revenue possible when STARZ’s most popular show returns with new episodes. This will not only give STARZ a one-time infusion of new cash, it will also help raise the average revenue per user (ARPU) the streamer generates from the new customers it gets who will stick by the service instead of canceling.
This category of user might not be as big as STARZ would like, however. By waiting so long to release the second part of Season 7 of “Outlander,” the platform is giving people every opportunity to sign up now, watch the first eight episodes, and then cancel for a few months until the second bundle of new ones arrive next year.
Obviously, “Outlander” is not the only title that draws a lot of eyes to STARZ. Titles like “BMF,” “Minx,” and the “Power Book” franchise are also highly popular, and there’s much more to discover on the service as well. But new users should be aware, any promotional prices or free trials they sign up with now will revert to a new $9.99 monthly price when their special deal ends.
STARZ
STARZ offers a subscription video streaming service that gives access to content on the STARZ channel without the need of a cable subscription. With your subscription, you’ll get access to 7,500+ films and episodes, including all of their current originals like “Outlander,” The Serpent Queen,” “BMF,” and “Power.”