Starz leaving Premiere packages?

Hi, I haven't looked into what it will cost me to replace what I had. I would just like a price reduction to offset that cost as it was part of my "package" Comcast is "free" to do what they want but they need to think about the "goodwill" that they are losing by making poor business moves like this and the others that are "upcoming" Be fair and most of us can live with it I think.

Prior to this agreement, Comcast mentioned Starz being available a la carte for $12/month (like Cinemax is). While I'm not necessarily opposed to a la carte options, I don't get why Comcast is charging a higher price than just about everybody else. Cinemax is a couple dollars cheaper with both Apple TV's and Amazon Prime Video's a la carte channel options, with way more streaming options than you get with Comcast content (which is limited to X1 cable boxes, and the handful of people who the beta Stream TV app on Roku/Samsung). 

Maybe this deal changes things up a bit but prior to this deal, Comcast mentioned Starz a la carte would also be $12 a month. With Starz, that even makes less sense since you can just get access directly through the Starz app for $9 a month with streaming access on pretty much every major streaming device and smart TV.

I'm not really sure why on earth anybody would pay Comcast $12 a month for access to Starz.

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@john991 wrote:

Hi, I haven't looked into what it will cost me to replace what I had. I would just like a price reduction to offset that cost as it was part of my "package" Comcast is "free" to do what they want but they need to think about the "goodwill" that they are losing by making poor business moves like this and the others that are "upcoming" Be fair and most of us can live with it I think.

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I would love a price reduction, but I don't believe we would ever get such a thing. They gave us Epix, a station I have no interest in, and that's supposed to be good enough.

I just read that Comcast has reached a new agreement with Starz. It says that Starz will eventually be removed from Comcast's premium package and become a subscription service for subscribers. This follows the removal of Cinemax from the premium package and the attempt to convince subscribers that the program poor Epix is an adequate substitute for Starz. As an avid soccer fan, there was a time that I got most European leagues as part of the sports package. Now I have to subscribe to NBC sports gold for the Premier League, Sling TV for La Liga (after Comcast eliminated BeinSport) and ESPN+ for Serie A. Now is seems that Comcast entertainment is going the same route:  a high price for the Premium package with degraded service. At what point do long-term Comcast customers such as I have no choice but to "cut the cord," something I have always been loathe to do?

As has  been pointed out, with Starz leaving the cable side and being strictly a streaming option for X1 customers, no need to subscribe   on Comcast if you want it but get it on Amazon Video which as you pointed out is available in lots of forms including through X1 boxes..  The main advantage of accessing Prime and Netflix thorugh X1 is it appears they are in 4K so they say....  My ROKU gets everything else very easily..    The X1 access is included in Ways to Watch for programming..  

I was informed that Comcast will be adding HULU to its integrated offerings soon on X1...  

So the reality for all of this hoopla is we have new services available that are cheaper alternatives to what they replaced for Comcast....  Some services like Starz will soon be strictly a streaming service it appears..  Not sure about  how they'll work on other cable services...    Yeh it is gong to cost a little more in the end but in this new world of cable and streaming, it is something people will need to figure out somehow...

Hi, I have to comment on the posts that talk about what Comcast is doing, they are creating an issue that you would think would not be in the best interest of the company and that is the mass exodus to cord cutting, If everything is going to be streaming why do we need any one company except for internet (is that the goal) As far as the X1 box and 4k I have a friend who has a television and the signal doesn't look all that much better with the box as opposed to "direct" through the tv app. The nickle and dime way of taking money is a poor way of treating "loyal" customers but all have a similar method. Trying to make us need the X1 box to receive streaming services is not helpful when I didn't need them before to get what I paid for the only advantage I see is that my wife only needs 7 remotes instead of 12 (haha).

I would comment on the typical left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing but "a three handed" person. This is what one of the biggest issues when you never get to speak to the same person every time and it is not just Comcast. The biggest waste of time in dealing is having to ask if everything from the previous encounter was documented (usually not) and starting over again with the issue and hoping that the person understands what you are saying in regards to hope to resove it, billing, technical or just an issue you might not understand. I have to say that lately when I have been disconnected the person calls back as opposed to the past when you get disconnected and have to go through the whole automated system again and if you use the online system they will call you if you can get online (if that isn't the issue). As I have posted  before as a business they are not any different it is the whole problem of the way it is being handled drop the customers from the package as the promotion ends not in the middle of it.

How do they drop people's access to STARZ as their promotions end? Everyone's promotion ends on different dates in different years. Mine ends March 2021.  

At a specified date (December 31 I assume) Comcast won't be offering STARZ anymore. Period.  It won't be part of any package because the contract between STARZ and Comcast will be over.

That's my understanding.

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@john991 wrote:

I would comment on the typical left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing but "a three handed" person. This is what one of the biggest issues when you never get to speak to the same person every time and it is not just Comcast. The biggest waste of time in dealing is having to ask if everything from the previous encounter was documented (usually not) and starting over again with the issue and hoping that the person understands what you are saying in regards to hope to resove it, billing, technical or just an issue you might not understand. I have to say that lately when I have been disconnected the person calls back as opposed to the past when you get disconnected and have to go through the whole automated system again and if you use the online system they will call you if you can get online (if that isn't the issue). As I have posted  before as a business they are not any different it is the whole problem of the way it is being handled drop the customers from the package as the promotion ends not in the middle of it.

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@john991 ... I agree with your last sentence.

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@JodieNJ wrote:

How do they drop people's access to STARZ as their promotions end? Everyone's promotion ends on different dates in different years. Mine ends March 2021.  

 

At a specified date (December 31 I assume) Comcast won't be offering STARZ anymore. Period.  It won't be part of any package because the contract between STARZ and Comcast will be over.

 

That's my understanding.

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I recently signed up for a new contract in the Chicago area which effective Dec. 18 offered various premium movie channels packages. I did the 3 for $30 and Starz was included in my choices-which I took. This was coupled with a preferred channel lineup.  They don't offer Premier anymore. Since this was brand new pricing, I can't imagine they would let me have Starz if they were going to take it away in 11 days.

I think they just signed a new contract with Starz.  Not sure how it will affect people with packages or if they are still going to make us pay extra, but I saw it on the news the other night

@JodieNJ ... this link from 48 hours ago might help clear up a few things:

https://nypost.com/2019/12/23/starz-to-exit-comcasts-premium-cable-bundle-after-power-finale/