What does Jeffrey Hirsch’s promotion to STARZ CEO mean for Outlander?

By Alexandria Ingham | Sep 30, 2019

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - JULY 26: Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch speaks onstage during the Starz segment of the Summer 2019 Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 26, 2019 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images) /

Jeffrey Hirsch has been promoted to CEO of STARZ. Could this mean good or bad things for Outlander? Here are my thoughts on the promotion.

When Chris Albrecht stepped down as STARZ CEO, there were fears of what this would mean for Outlander. He was a great supporter of the series. So, now that Jeffrey Hirsch has been promoted to CEO of the company, what could this mean for the future of Outlander? Is it a bad thing?

I wouldn’t say it’s bad. Hirsch made his opinions of Outlander known. While fans may have been annoyed by his comments of what the “premium female audience” wants, it’s clear that he knows the show is something the target audience for STARZ enjoys. When it comes to the actual business side of things (take the sexism out just for now for the sake of the future of the show) does it really matter what Hirsch thinks draws people into the series?

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It does sound like he knows Outlander is one of the highest-viewed shows on the network. Whatever the reason, he knows that we want more. And this is a good thing for the future of the show. As long as the ratings hold steady—the subscriber and app-viewer ratings and not necessarily the Nielsen ratings—then there’s hope for the future.

Now that STARZ has its new CEO, focus can be on the shows that are going to be kept. Preliminary talks can be held about Season 7 of the time-traveling romance series.

The future of the show isn’t just in one man. Hirsch has helped to grow the company considerably already. As COO, his focus is viewing figures and money. He’s going to use that to make decisions on Outlander and the many other TV shows on the network. As long as the viewing figures hold up, it would be a ridiculous decision to cancel the show from a business point of view.

I don’t think we’ll hear much about Season 7 until partway through Season 5 airing, though. He and his team will want to see what the ratings are like. Are they holding steady? Are more people subscribing to the app to watch? Has licensing some of the episodes to Netflix helped give the show a boost?

I think most of the talks about renewal are going to happen while Season 6 is filming and ahead of the premiere. Maybe things won’t be finalized until Season 6 premieres. However, Hirsch being in power doesn’t necessarily mean bad things for the future of the series.

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What do you think of the future of Outlander with Jeffrey Hirsch in power? Are you excited for Season 5? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Outlander Season 5 will premiere on Feb. 16 on STARZ.