Starz Appoints EVP of Affiliate Sales

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz has hired seasoned distribution executive Joe Glennon as its new executive VP of affiliate sales.

Based in New York, Glennon will be responsible for all of the network sales activities for the core Starz premium pay-TV businesses with multichannel video and digital distributors in the U.S. He is taking over the duties of Michael Thornton, who left the company last month.

Glennon previously served as executive VP of distribution at AMC Networks, where he managed distribution activities for AMC, WE tv, IFC, Sundance Channel, Fuse and IFC Films. Earlier in his career, he was senior VP of distribution at Fuse. He began his career in the cable business at Discovery Communications.

Starz COO Jeffrey Hirsch commented: “Joe brings a wealth of pay-TV sales experience and an understanding for the power of strong content and how it translates to solid distributor relationships, and ultimately an increasingly valuable Starz brand. With unprecedented demand for our groundbreaking originals—including Power, Outlander and, coming next year, American Gods—in addition to our quality movie lineup, Joe’s leadership will be invaluable as we look to secure future opportunities for growing our core business in partnership with MVPDs and new, emerging digital platforms.”

Glennon added: “I am excited to help accelerate the growth of Starz, which has been on an incredible trajectory over the past several years. With critically acclaimed original programming and new technologies, Starz is one of the best premium products for distributors to offer their consumers. There is a tremendous runway for exponential growth of the brand and services.”