Australian-owned streaming service Stan has today unveiled a significant expansion of its partnership with Hollywood powerhouse Lionsgate.
The new multi-year output agreement bolsters Stan’s offering with a fresh array of first-run premium scripted dramas from STARZ and Lionsgate, as well as a selection of exclusive theatrical films for Australian viewers.
The deal also ensures the continued presence of fan-favourite Lionsgate television series and blockbuster films on the Stan platform.
Building on Stan’s enduring partnership with Lionsgate and STARZ, this agreement follows a blockbuster deal with Sony Pictures Television last year. It has firmly established Stan’s reputation for securing first-rate Hollywood content for Australian audiences.
The partnership has already brought to Stan a host of hit series including the Power franchise, Minx, Heels, Hightown, P-Valley, BMF and The Serpent Queen.
The renewed agreement promises a line-up of new premium dramas, headlined by espionage thriller Gray, starring Patricia Clarkson of Six Feet Under fame, Nathalie Emmanuel from Game of Thrones, and Rupert Everett, known for My Best Friend’s Wedding. The drama, based on an original concept by bestselling novelist David Baldacci, follows a CIA spy who returns to her old life after two decades in hiding, only to face new threats.
Other noteworthy dramas soon to grace Stan courtesy of Lionsgate and STARZ include a sequel series to the acclaimed Spartacus, from creator Steven S. DeKnight, Welcome to Flatch, a mockumentary featuring Holmes of Call Me Kat, Sean William Scott from American Pie and Jaime Pressly of Mom, and Son of a Critch, a Canadian comedy based on creator and star Mark Critch’s memoir about his 1980s upbringing. The series also features Benjamin Evan Ainsworth of Pinocchio and Claire Rankin from Molly’s Game.
Further first-run series will be announced in due course.
Stan’s audiences can also look forward to exclusive theatrical films such as drama White Bird, a companion film to the 2017 hit Wonder, featuring Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren, and psychological thriller Alice, Darling, starring Anna Kendrick as a woman trapped in an abusive relationship.
This agreement also brings to Stan a variety of Lionsgate series, including the critically lauded Mad Men, Weeds, The Spanish Princess, Anger Management, The Girlfriend Experience, and Black Sails, together with a broad catalogue of blockbuster films, including La La Land, Wolf Creek, The Artist, The Blair Witch Project and Twilight.
Stan Chief Executive Officer Martin Kugeler said:
“Stan’s multi-year output agreement with Lionsgate secures a suite of exciting new first-run premium dramas from a global content leader, exclusive to our Australian subscribers. Over the years, Lionsgate and STARZ have produced some of the most exciting Hollywood TV shows and movies, with Gaslit, the Power franchise, Minx and The Serpent Queen proving very successful for our service. We can not wait to bring the new shows to Australian audiences.
This deal is a testament to our longstanding partnership with Lionsgate and STARZ, and is the latest addition to our existing content agreements with major Hollywood studios. This deal ensures an even stronger line up of exclusive Hollywood and global content complementing our Australian Originals on Stan. We look forward to expanding our strategic partnership with Lionsgate.”
Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television Distribution Jim Packer commented:
“We’re pleased to expand our successful relationship with Stan. The agreement reaffirms the enormous value of our content to platform partners worldwide while allowing us to bring Australian audiences a deep slate of signature Lionsgate and STARZ properties, from exciting new shows like the Spartacus sequel to beloved film & TV brands La La Land and Mad Men.”
