Starz Entertainment announced Tuesday the addition of Michael Thornton to the company as executive
vice president, business and legal affairs - programming, digital and worldwide
distribution, and the departure of Richard Turner,
senior vice president, business affairs - programming.
Thornton will oversee the development of the strategic direction
of business and legal affairs concerning Starz Entertainment's acquisition of
programming content for its channels, on-demand and online services from the company's headquarters in Englewood, Colo. He will
also manage business and legal affairs for the company's content distribution
with online and broadband distributors, transactional VOD/EST, and
international syndication of proprietary Starz Original programming and Starz
Media content.
"I am very pleased to join Starz during this exciting
time in the company's history, with opportunities for further expansion of its
core premium pay TV, multiplatform, and global syndication businesses," said
Thornton. "This is a tremendous
opportunity to return to Colorado with a career challenge that draws upon many
of my past professional experiences."
Thornton comes to Starz Entertainment from Disney/ABC
Domestic Television Distribution, where he served as executive vice president,
business and legal affairs since 2005. In that role, he oversaw multi-platform
strategy and negotiations for The Walt Disney Studios' film and ABC Studio's
television distribution.
In a related personnel move, Richard Turner,
senior vice president, business affairs - programming, will depart the company this
summer after a 12-year tenure.
"We thank Richard for his
invaluable contributions to the company and wish him continued success," said Steve Beabout, EVP, general counsel and secretary for Starz.
