AT&T Inc. and Starz Entertainment Group LLC (SEG) announced a distribution agreement to deliver Starz linear, high-definition and on-demand programming as part of the AT&T U-verseSM TV channel lineup.

Under the agreement, AT&T U-verse TV customers will have access to 18 Starz and Encore channels, including: Starz, Starz on Demand, Starz HDTV, Starz Edge, Starz in Black, Starz Cinema, Starz Comedy, Starz Kids & Family, Encore, Encore on Demand, Encore Action, Encore Love, Encore Westerns, Encore Mysteries, Encore Drama, Encore Wam, Retroplex and Indieplex.

"The Starz and Encore services will be an important part of the U-verse lineup of some of today's most popular television networks and content," said Dan York, head of programming, AT&T Operations, Inc. "Movies have always been one of the most watched categories of programming. They are even more attractive when they are offered in high-definition and on demand."

"SEG is delighted to be part of AT&T's U-verse distribution platform, which will provide consumers with a variety of options to enjoy Starz and Encore programming," said Edward Huguez, executive vice president of affiliate sales and marketing, SEG. "Studies have shown that consumers' satisfaction levels increase dramatically when they have the full complement of our channels, including high-definition and movies on demand."

AT&T U-verse TV is delivered by Project Lightspeed, the company's initiative to expand the fiber-optics network deeper into neighborhoods to deliver U-verse TV, AT&T Yahoo!® High Speed Internet U-verse Enabled and, in the future, Voice over IP services. Through its subsidiaries, AT&T expects to reach nearly 19 million households by the end of 2008 as part of its initial deployment, using fiber-to-the-node (FTTN) and fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) technologies.

Financial and other terms of the agreement were not disclosed.