Starz Goes Dark On Verizon FiOS Amid Carriage Dispute; Verizon Responds

UPDATED with Verizon statement: Starz on Wednesday warned of the potential loss of all of its channels, Starz on Demand and the Starz app through Verizon FiOs amid negotiations with Verizon on a distribution agreement. Now, the company says those channels have gone dark.

“Since an agreement was not reached, customers have lost access to Starz ’s programming,” Alison Hoffman, President, Starz Networks said in a statement late tonight. “Despite extensive efforts by STARZ to reach a renewal agreement and preserve uninterrupted access for Verizon Fios customers, Verizon has chosen to remove Starz.”

The statement continued, “Verizon has mischaracterized our position, shown an unwillingness to negotiate and has been unproductive in progressing towards a mutually beneficial outcome.”

Verizon issued a statement in response, saying it is “disappointed that STARZ has chosen to remove its premium channels from the Verizon Fios TV lineup. While STARZ is currently selling its service direct to consumers for as low as $2.50 a month, they are demanding Verizon customers pay double that amount for access to the same content.”

The statement continues, “Verizon proudly offers a rich, diverse array of programming across our platform, and our focus remains on protecting our customers and delivering content at a fair value. We remain open to reaching a sensible resolution to restore these channels,” adding “their baseless claims attempt to distract from a fair contract negotiation.”

PREVIOUSLY at 4:36 p.m.: “Starz has been negotiating in good faith with Verizon on a distribution agreement that would ensure our shared customers continue to have uninterrupted access to Starz’s premium programming,” said Alison Hoffman, President of Starz Networks. “As an independent programmer dedicated to women and underrepresented audiences, Starz is vital to a competitive media marketplace, providing diverse programming alternatives to content from larger conglomerates. Limiting access to Starz would reduce competition and consumer choice. Unless an agreement is reached imminently, our viewers should be prepared for Verizon to remove Starz.”

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Starz ended 2025 with 17.6 million subscribers but no longer is reporting subscriber numbers. Unlike other programmers carrying live sports or news, it has a streaming service that accounts for about three-quarters of its subscribers base. In prior carriage disputes, distributors have encouraged their customers to sign up for Starz on streaming platforms. That dynamic makes the current dispute less likely to rattle the broader industry than showdowns between the likes of YouTube TV or Charter and broad entertainment programmers like Disney.

It’s worth noting that FiOS customers can sign up for Starz on streaming, which is not affected by the current dispute.

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