Starz Makes Changes to Encore Channels

In an effort to focus on demographics that are over-indexed in pay cable viewing, Starz has announced changes that will be made to its package of Encore channels. Beginning Monday, December 2nd, Encore Drama will be replaced by Encore Black, a channel dedicated to programming for the African-American community, including repeats of What’s Happening!!, Good Times, and Amen; 227 is set to be added to the lineup come January, while the new network will spotlight the films of Samuel L. Jackson starting on December 23rd at 10:00. No word on whether Encore Black will pick a new actor/actress to spotlight every month or if this marathon is a one-time only deal.

Encore Classic, to replace Encore Love, will focus primarily on Baby Boomers with repeats of Murphy Brown, Night Court, and Magnum, P.I. set to populate its airwaves. The Monday – Friday lineup of repeats begins at 7:00 on December 2nd, while a different movie will air every night at 9:00 through the month of December, ranging in genres, tones, and decades from the 1970s and American Graffiti to the 2000s and The Bourne Supremacy. Encore Espanol, meanwhile, will be home to the United States premieres of Sin Otoño, Sin Primavera (No Autumn, No Spring) (Ecuador), Estrella del Sur (Star of the South) (Columbia), La Llamada (The Phone Call) (Argentina), and Lo Azul del Cielo (The Blue of the Sky) (Columbia), all of which will air Sundays at 8:00.

Finally, Encore Suspense has set up The Graveyard Shift, a block of films that will air every night during December at 9:00. Among the titles that will be seen are Night of the Living Dead, The Fly, and Frozen.

Will you miss either Encore Love or Encore Drama? Are you likely to check out any of the new Encore channels? How long will it take before any or all of them begin producing their own original content?