文章基本信息

标题：Starz Encore Dishes Up Super Pak - Company Business and Marketing
作者：K.C. Neel
期刊名称：Cable World
印刷版ISSN：1931-7697
出版年度：2000
卷号：Feb 28, 2000
出版社：Access Intelligence

Starz Encore Dishes Up Super Pak - Company Business and Marketing

K.C. Neel

Take that.

Starz Encore Group signed up the first affiliate to its Starz Encore Super Pak program last week. Ironically, the program Starz Encore developed for MSOs to better compete with DBS providers is now being carried by EchoStar Communications' DISH Network.

Starz Encore introduced its Super Pak concept at the Western Show last year calling it a good defense against the multi-pay packages offered by DBS services EchoStar and DirecTV.

"Cable operators have gotten complacent and seem happy with digital penetration hovering below the 30% mark," Starz Encore chairman John Sie said during a Western Show press conference. "But the window of opportunity to effectively compete against DBS is shutting down quickly." His solution to the dilemma: Starz Encore's Super Pak package. Some operators balked at the way the program was pitched, but some thought the idea of a multipay package was worthy of a closer look. However, they didn't look quickly enough and Starz Encore ended up selling its DBS-defense package to a DBS provider first. Actually, DirecTV has a similar Starz Encore package that it's already offering, so this latest deal with EchoStar is a better way for EchoStar to compete with DirecTV, said Leslie Nittler, Starz Encore's SVP-new media.

"We're platform agnostic and we believe this Super Pak package will be valuable to both DBS and cable operators," she said.

That might not sit too well with operators. For one thing, the Super Pak package was a bit controversial when introduced last year. Some operator didn't like the pricing structure or strategy Starz Encore was pushing in a national campaign. Others weren't hip to having little control of how the packages are constructed at the local level.

Now EchoStar customers can see 15 Starz Encore channels instead of the four they got before today for $10.99 a month. That's $2 cheaper than what Sie said the advertised price for cable customers would be. "Satellite customers have been our most ardent viewers to date," Nittler said. "And now with the complete Starz Encore Super Pak carriage and our expanded relationship with EchoStar, we are well-positioned to maximize our joint potential for future growth."