Starz cuts 7% of workforce after last year’s split from Lionsgate Studios

Starz’s historical fantasy drama Outlander

US network and streamer Starz has laid off 7% of its staff amid a reorganisation following its separation from Lionsgate last year.

The move will see fewer than 40 positions being eliminated from the network behind the Outlander and Power franchises.

It comes after Starz, which is led by president and CEO Jeffrey Hirsch, and Lionsgate Studios were split into two separate publicly traded entities in May 2025. In the autumn, Lionsgate Studios also made a round of job cuts, with around 5% of the workforce (roughly 50 positions) being eliminated.

This marks the second round of lay-offs implemented by Starz over the past few years, after it cut around 10% of its staff in 2023 ahead of the protracted separation from Lionsgate. At the time, Starz ceased operations in the UK and Australia, shortly after revealing it was pulling out of Latin America.

At the end of 2025, Starz had 17.9 million subscribers across both linear and streaming in the US. Within that, its streaming service had 12.7 million subscribers, up by 370,000 from the previous quarter. Overall, Starz posted a loss of US$20.7m in the fourth quarter.

The news was first reported by Deadline.