Under the deal, Starzplay’s U.K. subscribers will be able to access Lionsgate first-run movies including “Knives Out,” “Bombshell,” “Angel Has Fallen” and “Rambo: Last Blood” along with Lionsgate U.K.’s “The Personal History of David Copperfield” and “Military Wives.”

Lionsgate’s first-run films will launch on Starzplay six months after debuting on Amazon Prime Video in the territory.

The deal was negotiated by Lionsgate president of international television and digital distribution Agapy Kapouranis, senior VP and head of Europe, Middle East and Africa television sales Nicky Wood, and VP of U.K., Turkey and Greece television sales Nazneen Sethi.

The Lionsgate titles join TV series already available on Starzplay, including “The Act,” “Pennyworth,” “Castle Rock” and “The Spanish Princess.”

“One of our top priorities is to supply Starzplay with a deep roster of exciting Lionsgate content that complements their original programming and third party acquisitions as they continue to launch their service around the world,” said Lionsgate president of worldwide television and digital distribution Jim Packer.

“This agreement reflects a thoughtful and flexible approach to our windowing strategies while building value through the continued combination of our IP creation and platform distribution capabilities.”

Starz executive VP of international digital networks Superna Kalle said: “Offering consumers great content is key to growing our subscriber base as we continue our international rollout, and this partnership only scratches the surface of what Lionsgate and Starz can achieve together.”

Starzplay, launched in 2018, is now in 49 countries.

To date, Starzplay has found distribution via platforms such as Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video and various telco partners. For example, the platform is currently available in Europe and Latin America on Apple TV; in France, Germany, Mexico and the UK on Amazon; and in Spain on Orange and Vodafone.

This next evolution sees Starzplay available as a standalone service, priced at US$5 per month.

The app allows up to four users to watch simultaneously and access offline downloads of select shows and films. It is available through iPhone and iPad as well as on a wide range of Android-supported devices.

Currently, Starz subscribers from Totalplay can authenticate and stream content using the app. Other select international cable, satellite and telco partners will also soon be able to authenticate into the app.

Superna Kalle, EVP of international digital networks for Starz, told DTVE sister title TBI earlier this year that a direct-to-consumer app informs a holistic distribution strategy for the business.

“Our strategy is to think three-prong in that we have the direct-to-consumer app coming in to the market; we’ve got local distributors like a Vodafone or Orange; and then we have these bigger global partners in Apple and Amazon,” she said at the time.

Starz CEO Jeffrey A. Hirsch said: “Starz has experienced great success with the Starz app domestically, remaining ahead of the streaming curve with more than 5.6 million OTT customers to date, and that number continues to climb.

“Expanding our direct-to-consumer product into the global arena with the launch of the Starzplay app gives subscribers seamless entry to our platform and premium content on their device of choice, while also providing us with access to key consumer data insights as we continue to position ourselves for success in the evolving content ecosystem.”