Liberty Media Corporation has hired Chris Albrecht to fill the position of President and CEO of Starz.
Being in charge of Starz means not only being in charge of Starz Entertainment but also Overture Films, Anchor Bay Entertainment and Film Roman. Albrecht’s duties will start on January 1st 2010.
The reason I question if Starz will become a contending cable powerhouse is because Chris Albrecht hails from HBO and was the Chairman and CEO from 2002 to ’07.
Under his reign, HBO produced shows such as Sex and the City, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, Deadwood, Band of Brothers and Entourage.
Albrecht statement:
“I am thrilled and honored to be asked to join a great company like Starz and to help take advantage of the challenges and opportunities emerging in media and entertainment,” said Albrecht. “I have always seen Starz as a bold, entrepreneurial and growth-oriented brand – one that I believe will be a great home for me. I look forward to putting my experiences and interests to work with the talented management team at Liberty and Starz to create valued products for consumers and our affiliate partners.”
Liberty Media statement:
“We have found the right set of skills and a record of success with Chris and are pleased to have him lead Starz,” said John Malone, Chairman of Liberty Media. “We would also like to thank Bob Clasen, upon his retirement, for his leadership and contributions. He has been a valuable member of our management team and we wish him well.”
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Though Starz has a decent line up of programming now, the addition of Albrecht with his experience could bring Starz up to the next level of entertainment programming.
While we now hear about HBO’s hit series like True Blood and others, that may start changing.
Of course with any add-on of staff, it will probably take up to a year or more before we start seeing the direct results of his coming on-board Starz.
At least that’s my guess.
source: Starz press release
