Starz Features Sex And Violence In Pursuit Of HBO, Showtime

Liberty Media Corporation, owner of Starz, is determined to move the dial up on the No. 3 pay cable network, and transform its image from a recycler of Hollywood movies to a viable category competitor.

Starz has always played third fiddle to HBO and Showtime, and has a comparatively modest subscription audience of 17 million homes. That said, the recently premiered original melodrama Spartacus, is their first big hit – 1.1 million viewers tuned in to see violence and sex that might make Tarantino flinch.

Centered on the life of a heroic gladiator, originally portrayed by Kirk Douglas in the 1960’s, this Spartacus combines soft-core porn with modern speak: "My boot will meet your ass in the afterlife!"

The show's gladiator wannabees are made to drop their loincloths for a prospective socialite buyer to check the goods. The series is also laden with profanity that producers say is authentic to the 1st century BC.Continue reading...