Starz Warns of Verizon FiOS Blackout as Deal Talks Run Short

Verizon FiOS customers could lose Starz within days if the two companies do not finalise a new deal.

Starz warned on 30 September 2026 that all of its channels, Starz on Demand and the Starz app on FiOS would be removed if a new distribution agreement — the contract that sets fees and terms for carrying channels — is not reached imminently, according to Deadline. A blackout would cut FiOS households off from the linear channels and the cable-linked on-demand library in one go.

The warning does not cover everyone who watches Starz. The company's stand-alone streaming service, bought separately and watched over the internet, is not affected by the FiOS dispute.

Starz said it has been negotiating in good faith with Verizon to keep its premium programming available without interruption. The statement was issued by Alison Hoffman, President of Starz Networks.

Verizon has also flagged disruption to customers. A notice on its support site warned that starting on 10 August 2026, certain networks, their content and associated streaming applications may no longer be available in FiOS TV packages, according to Verizon. The page did not name Starz in the excerpt provided.

For fans, this means two different paths. Lose the FiOS feed and the favourite dramas disappear from the set-top box. Keep, or buy, the separate Starz streaming subscription and viewing continues outside the cable bundle.

The stakes are smaller on cable than they once were. Starz ended 2025 with 17.6 million subscribers, with about three-quarters coming from streaming. The company is no longer reporting subscriber numbers.

Carriage fights of this kind are familiar territory. Starz has previously been in protracted standoffs with distributors, including Altice USA's Optimum cable systems as noted in 2018 reporting by Yahoo. Those disputes turn on the same question now facing Verizon and Starz: what distributors pay, and what viewers get to keep.