Starz Encore Group LLC is cutting 100 jobs, as the company said it’s going through its first round of layoffs in its 12-year history.
Many of the positions being cut come from four regional offices Starz Encore is eliminating -- in San Ramon, Calif.; Buffalo, N.Y.; St. Louis; and Dallas -- spokesman Tom Southwick said. There will also be cuts at the company’s Englewood, Colo., headquarters, in its Starz Films unit and other departments.
Southwick said Starz Encore’s recent settlement with Comcast Corp. -- which will see the programmer receive payments based on how many subscribers it counts, rather than a flat fee -- played a role in the decision. "The real thrust is to reshape ourselves to try to put more emphasis on marketing," he added.
Starz Encore’s rivals have also cut jobs this year, with Home Box Office cutting 20 employees in May, while Showtime Networks Inc. axed 70 staffers that month.
About one-half of the Starz Encore employees who staffed the positions being eliminated will be offered other jobs within the company, Southwick said.
After the four regional offices are closed, Starz Encore will still have regional offices in Atlanta; Philadelphia; Chicago; Stanford, Conn.; Hoboken, N.J.; and El Segundo, Calif.
