Starz Encore Group Announces March 22 Launch of Encore HD

Encore HD Joins STARZ! HD as the Premier Channels for Hit Movies in Hi-Def. VOOM Set To Launch Service, PanAmSat Will Carry on Galaxy 13

11-Mar-04

Starz Encore Group LLC (Starz!) will launch Encore HD on March 22. The announcement was made at the Cable & Television Association of Marketing (CTAM) Digital & Broadband Conference. Encore HD, the Hi-Def version of the flagship Encore service, will be transmitted in wide-screen 16x9 1080i and feature Dolby Digital 5.1-channel sound with East & West Coast feeds. Encore HD will be available upon launch on VOOM, the first comprehensive HDTV from Rainbow DBS, Cablevision Systems Corporation's satellite division. The latest addition enhances VOOM's lineup of HD programming that includes more than 30 HD channels. VOOM also delivers more than 75 popular cable channels in standard-definition (SD) and over 20 exclusive VOOM HD channels created by Rainbow Media Holdings LLC. Starz anticipates announcing more system launches of Encore HD in the future. Encore HD will be offered on PanAmSat Corporation's Galaxy 13 North American satellite, one of the industry's most advanced spacecraft, which reaches a current subscriber base of over 60 million subscribers. VOOM will carry Encore HD (East) in addition to the East and West Coast feeds of STARZ! HD, and the standard-definition versions of STARZ! (East), STARZ! Family (East), Encore (East), Love Stories (East), Mystery (East), and Action (East), available to subscribers as part of the VA VA VOOM package, a special all-inclusive programming offer for $79.90 per month, or through the STARZ PlusPack for $14.90 per month. Encore HD will have first-run and recent big hit movies, plus great films viewers know and love, uncut and commercial free, 24 hours a day. The network focuses on high-quality movies that received box office success or critical acclaim and included notable stars and/or directors. Additionally, Encore HD features star interviews, movie trivia between films, Encore original series geared towards movie lovers, such as ""The Directors"" monthly series, upcoming original documentaries, ""The Cutting Edge: The Magic Of Movie Editing,"" and ""Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade,"" and ""CineNews,"" the original weekly show about the movie business. Encore HD will include a selection of films available in 1080i format with other films up-converted to approximate the full Hi-Def experience. Sample Encore HD movies that will be seen in 1080i Hi-Def over the first several days after the service is launched include Blade II, I Am Sam, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Phenomenon, and Taxi Driver.ìStarz has delivered again on its commitment to deliver the best of movie enter-tainment in Hi-Def, with the addition of Encore HD,"" said Robert B. Clasen, Starz' President Of Sales And Marketing. ìCoupled with STARZ! HD and Starz On Demand, Starz offers the most complete package of on-demand and Hi-Def movie viewing options in the pay television industry.î Both feeds of Encore HD will be carried on PanAmSat's Galaxy 13 along with its sister flagship channel STARZ! HD, which was launched in December 2003. Galaxy 13 is located at 127 degrees West Longitude in the U.S. cable arc. The satellite is part of PanAmSat's ""Power of Five"" antenna program, which provides qualified cable operators with simultaneous access to five Galaxy neighborhood satellites and reaches 11,000 cable headends.For more information on Starz!, please visit http://www.starz.com. For more information on VOOM, please visit http://www.voom.com. For more information on PanAmSat, please visit http://www.panamsat.com.

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