Starz sets Star Wars date

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

US cablenet Starz has unveiled the television premiere date for blockbuster movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The seventh instalment in the Star Wars franchise will premiere on all six Starz channels at 21.00 (ET/PT) and again at 23:20 (ET/PT) on September 10.

The movie will also be available to download via the Starz app, which launched in April and costs US$8.99 per month. The digital service offers access to more than 2,400 episodes each month of shows including Outlander, Power and the upcoming American Gods.

This will be the last movie Starz takes from its output deal for Disney titles after it expires this fall. US SVoD service Netflix will then become the exclusive US pay TV home of the latest films from Disney and its offshoots Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar.

The Force Awakens brought in an estimated US$248m at the North American box office. It is spawning two sequels – Episode VIII and Episode IX – which are scheduled for release in 2017 and 2019.