Lionsgate trained a custom Runway generative model on its roughly 20,000-title library in 2024, and in June 2026 deepened its equity stake in Runway with no cash injection to co-develop short-form episodic series from existing Lionsgate IP. It is one of the first Hollywood studios to hold equity in a generative-AI production tool.Source: Lowdown

Who owns Starz streaming?

Starz is owned by Lionsgate, the independent US studio headquartered in Santa Monica. Starz operates as a premium cable and streaming network in the United States alongside Lionsgate's film and television production business.Source: Lowdown

How is Lionsgate using AI in film production?

Lionsgate trained a proprietary Runway model on its entire library and is using it to co-develop short-form episodic series from existing IP, bypassing the open training-data legal exposure other studios face by trading library access for a custom model tuned to Lionsgate's own visual and narrative style.Source: Lowdown

Background

Lionsgate is an independent North American film and television studio headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with a library spanning approximately 20,000 titles, including the Hunger Games, John Wick, Saw, and Twilight franchises. It operates two production labels (Lionsgate Films and Summit Entertainment) and owns the Starz premium cable and streaming network in the United States. Unlike the major studios, Lionsgate has historically occupied the productive margin of the industry, willing to experiment with distribution and production models that the larger conglomerates adopt later.

Lionsgate holds an equity stake in generative-AI firm Runway and in 2024 trained a custom Runway model on its full library, one of the first disclosed deals in which a Hollywood studio exchanged archive access for a proprietary AI production tool. On 12 June 2026, Lionsgate deepened that equity stake without a cash injection (terms undisclosed) and announced a co-development slate of short-form episodic series built from existing Lionsgate IP run through Runway's generative models. Vice-chair Michael Burns described the work as iterative rather than a discrete deal. Runway itself reached a $5.3 billion valuation after a $315 million Series E in February 2026, and added $40 million in annual recurring revenue in Q2 2026, citing Lionsgate alongside AMC Networks as named studio customers.

In June 2026, Netflix, which had assessed and declined to bid for Roku, was separately reported to be sounding out a deal for Lionsgate Studios. No terms have been disclosed and the process remains exploratory. The strategic logic converges with the consolidation trail Netflix has been running: Lionsgate's 20,000-title library and Starz subscriber base offer both content depth and a direct-to-consumer streaming route. The Lionsgate model, trading library access for a proprietary AI tool and accumulating equity in the vendor, represents a strategic logic distinct from the Paramount or Disney build-or-licence positions. Whether the template survives copyright scrutiny depends on ongoing litigation about training data rights in US courts.