Chris Albrecht stepped down as CEO of STARZ this month. What does this mean for the future of Outlander?
February started with some surprising news that STARZ CEO Chris Albrecht was stepping down. The big question for many is what this means for Outlander. After all, he has always been the big supporter for the series.
Understandably fans are worried. When there’s a change at the top, it can mean a lot of change within the middle. For a network or a cable company, it can mean a change to the shows that get renewed. With the cancellation of Counterpart, it’s not surprising that some fans are worried about the fate for our favorite series.
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Right now, there isn’t a major worry for Claire and Jamie. The show has been renewed for Seasons 5 and 6 already. In fact, production is already working on Season 5, written knowing that the sixth season is happening. All eyes will be on whether Season 7 happens.
It’s all about the viewing figures
Whether Albrecht was CEO or not, the future of Outlander would rely on the numbers. We don’t get to know STARZ’s subscriber figures and the number of those subscribers watching the series. All we get to see is the number of people watching the series live through the Nielsen figures.
Outlander Season 4’s live figures were down from the third season, but they were still good for STARZ overall. What we don’t know is what the actual subscriber viewers were like, but there are certainly plenty of people watching through the app!
The downside is the ratings tend to drop each season. If Claire and Jamie continue with this pattern, then we could find the show is in danger in the future. Eyes will be on how the fifth and sixth seasons hold up in terms of subscriber viewers and live viewers.
STARZ may have higher expectations
Right now, STARZ’s COO Jeffrey Hirsch is overseeing the cable streaming, according to Variety. He’s seen the success of Outlander over the last four seasons and will know the potential for success in the future. However, that’s not necessarily the way it will stay in the future.
The cable company will need to hire a new CEO. With the Lionsgate merger that could mean someone in place will have higher expectations. Should the series remain steady or drop in numbers, it could see the fate of the show in danger after the sixth season.
Lionsgate will want to be put first
Chris Albrecht was one of the people focusing on the STARZ Originals. In the last two years, The Rook became the only Lionsgate project to land a series order. Albrecht viewed the company more as a competitor despite the merger, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Now that he’s gone, there’s a chance that more Lionsgate shows will be pushed to series.
This could put Outlander under threat. If the Lionsgate shows get picked up and turn out to be better in terms of live viewers and subscribers, the company is naturally going to pick them for renewals.
Mixed with the loss of Terry Dresbach as the costume designer and seeing Ron Moore taking a step back from showrunning, Chris Albrecht’s departure as STARZ CEO is certainly disappointing. We can’t say for certain that a seventh season isn’t going to happen but the show has lost its biggest supporter at the network. The shows’ viewing figures will need to do well to keep the show on the air.
Do you worry about the future of Outlander? What do you take away from Albrecht stepping down? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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