Hirsch upped to lead Starz

Lionsgate-owned cablenet Starz has promoted Jeffrey Hirsch to president and CEO of the company.

Hirsch joined Starz in 2015 as president of global marketing and product development, before being promoted to the role of chief operating officer in 2016.

He took over the running of the company earlier this year after former CEO Chris Albrecht resigned in March. Exec VP of original production Marta Fernandez followed soon after.

Under his leadership, Hirsch has been credited with growing Starz’s domestic subscriber base to 24.7 million from 23.5 million and helping the StarzPlay service to expand into nearly 50 countries.

“Jeff continues to lead Starz’s transformation into one of the world’s premier subscription platforms,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer.

“He has a clear strategic vision, great understanding of where our business is headed and strong relationships that will all contribute to Starz’s continued strong growth and evolution.”

Starz, which is behind series such as Outlander and Power, has been the subject of takeover speculation in recent months, with CBS reportedly expressing interest in the company. Rumours have been quashed, however, since CBS agreed a merger with Viacom last month.