Starz is lowering the price of its annual subscription, unlike everyone else

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The change in price went into effect on August 29th. At a time when most streaming services seem to be increasing prices, the news comes as a surprise.

By Sheena Vasani, a writer covering commerce, e-readers, and tech news. She previously wrote about everything from web development to AI at Inside.

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The cast of Minx is dressed in ’70s attire and facing a naked man reclining on his side and visible only from the back.

Starz often picks up canceled shows like HBO Max’s Minx.
Image: HBO Max

Starz has lowered its annual subscription price from $74.99 a year to $69.99, Cord Cutters first reported and TechCrunch later confirmed. Starz emailed its subscribers the news on August 29th, explaining existing members will see the change in price on their next bill.

It’s not clear why Starz, which is home to TV shows like Outlander, The Serpent Queen, and Minx, made the move, but it’s a welcome one. Alison Hoffman, president of domestic networks at Starz, only told TechCrunch via email that “as one of the few streaming networks that is profitable, we are always looking for ways to drive success for the business while providing great value to our customers.”

“Our annual plan subscribers are some of our most valuable customers, so we wanted to find ways to drive more people into the plan and reward our existing customers,” added Hoffman.

It’s a surprising twist given many of Starz’s rivals are increasing prices. Disney, for example, recently announced it’ll be increasing the prices of its monthly ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu plans starting on October 12th. Meanwhile, Paramount Plus increased the price of its monthly plan back in late June.

Starz itself increased monthly subscription costs from $8.99 to $9.99 just a few months ago. You could read that change as part of a greater strategy to entice customers into paying more upfront for the annual plan. Regardless of why the annual plan is cheaper, if you’re the type to set up a subscription and forget about it for a few years, this is a win.

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