BLACK IS BACK

SECOND SEASON OF STARZ ORIGINAL SERIES "BLACK SAILS" TO SET SAIL ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 24TH AT 9PM ET/PT

Starz Releases First Look Teaser Art for "Black Sails" Season Two

Beverly Hills, Calif. - October 2, 2014 - Starz announced today that its Emmy(R)-winning Original series "Black Sails," executive produced by Michael Bay (Transformers, Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) and his Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, producers on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Purge, and created by executive producers Jonathan Steinberg ("Jericho," "Human Target") and Robert Levine ("Touch"), will debut Saturday, January 24th, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT. The ten-episode second season of the authentic high sails drama series follows the most feared pirate of the day, Captain Flint (Toby Stephens) and his men, and takes place twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island."

"Black Sails" season one set a STARZ viewership record for a debuting STARZ Original series during its opening weekend in January 2014, established an average of 5.3 million viewers per episode*, and is distributed in about 130 countries and territories worldwide. Starz also released a first look teaser image from season two, inspired by the Emmy(R)-nominated main title design.

Season two begins where we left off - The Walrus crew is stranded, with an army of Spanish soldiers standing between them and the precious Urca gold. And with their crimes against their brethren no longer a secret, Flint (Toby Stephens) and Silver (Luke Arnold) must join forces in a desperate bid for survival. Meanwhile, Eleanor Guthrie (Hannah New) struggles to maintain her grip on Nassau, as a new breed of pirate arrives in the form of Ned Low (Tadgh Murphy), a man for whom violence isn't just a tool ... it's a pastime. As blood is spilled, and tensions mount, Charles Vane (Zach McGowan) must decide which he values more: Eleanor's life, or the respect of his men. And unbeknownst to all of them, a prize of immeasurable value has already been smuggled onto the island ... one whose discovery will alter the very landscape of their world, and force everyone in Nassau toward the ultimate judgment: are they men, or are they monsters?

"Black Sails" stars Toby Stephens as the most brilliant and feared pirate captain of his day 'Captain Flint.' Stephens is an accomplished stage actor also well-known for his role in Die Another Day. Hannah New portrays 'Eleanor Guthrie,' a beautiful and determined young woman who runs the smuggling operation on New Providence. London-born Hannah starred in the miniseries, "El Tiempo Entre Costuras (The Time Between Seams)," the feature Fuga De Cerebros 2, and most recently in Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning. Luke Arnold portrays the classic character, 'John Silver,' in the years before his well-known feats. Arnold is a native of Australia, where he began working in television on series including "McLeod's Daughters," "Rush" and "Rescue: Special Ops." He also went on to appear in the feature film, Broken Hill and most recently starred in the miniseries "INXS: The Michael Hutchence Story." Rising star Jessica Parker Kennedy is in the role of 'Max,' a young prostitute with an eye towards advancement. Jessica is known for her work in the television series, "The Secret Circle," and has appeared in the films 50/50 and In Time. Zach McGowan is featured as 'Captain Charles Vane,' a rival pirate captain to the brilliant and feared "Captain Flint," played by Toby Stephens. McGowan is most well-known for his role in the series "Shameless" and will appear in the upcoming feature film Dracula Untold.

For more information, go to the official "Black Sails" Facebook Page and follow @BlkSails_Starz on Twitter and Instagram. Join the conversation with #BlackSails and #STARZ.

About Starz

Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.

Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription video programming through the flagship STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R) pay TV networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators, satellite television providers, and telecommunications companies. As of June 30, 2014, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 55.9 million subscribers, including 22.0 million at STARZ, and 33.9 million at ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels in the U.S. STARZ(R) and ENCORE(R), along with Starz Networks' third network MOVIEPLEX(R), air more than 1,000 movies monthly across 17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution business units distribute original programming content produced by Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences worldwide.

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*Sources "Black Sails" debuted to 2.6 million Live+Same Day viewers during the weekend of January 25-26, 2014. Linear results based on Nielsen NPower overnight data. Multiplatform results based on Starz internal estimates of linear and time shifted results from Nielsen (NPower), Rentrak (On Demand Essentials) and internal broadband data. Subject to further qualifications available upon request