CBS still in talks to acquire STARZ: What could this mean for Outlander?
While the CBS-Viacom talks continue, there are still talks of the network acquiring STARZ. What could this mean for the future of Outlander?
Lionsgate currently owns STARZ but things could be changing in the future. CBS has been in talks with Lionsgate to acquire the premium cable network, but what could this mean for the future of shows on the network? What does it mean for the future of Outlander?
Right now, the talks are still in preliminary stages. CBS is still in talks to acquire Viacom, so talks about STARZ aren’t going to finalize until the Viacom talks do, according to CNBC. However, it’s not too early to question what it means for Outlander.
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It could actually be a good thing. CBS already owns SHOWTIME, the premium cable network that airs the likes of Shameless, Ray Donovan, and Billions. It’s a network that has a lot of renewed shows hovering around or lower than Outlander Season 4’s live viewership. SHOWTIME knows the power is in the subscriptions and not necessarily the live ratings, which is also where STARZ holds a lot of the power.
With lower rated shows being renewed, it gives a chance for the current offerings on the STARZ network. CBS also knows how to promote better, so we could see more of our own favorites getting more promotion throughout the year and more news shared to keep the buzz. This is something Lionsgate has tried with STARZ this year and it’s certainly helped — but it’s Canada’s W Network that you’ll routinely see share something Outlander related.
Right now, there’s nothing to worry about. Season 6 has been confirmed and there would be penalties for a network to pull out of this deal. This likely won’t air until 2021, so we have a couple more years of the show before we really have to worry. In fact, it won’t be until the start of 2021 that we’ll have to worry too much about renewal talks.
We won’t even need to worry about the acquisition talks for a while. As long as they’re finalized sometime in 2020, we don’t have to worry about talks of the renewal. If those are still going on in 2021, then we’ll have to revisit this discussion on the future of Outlander.
Next. 25 most romantic moments on the show so far. dark
Do you worry about the future of the series? Do the acquisition talks concern you? Share your thoughts in the comments below?
Season 5 is currently filming and slated to air sometime in 2020.