Starz will let you pay for streaming TV with prepaid cards

Conventional TV networks, as a rule, are very fond of subscriptions. Don't tell that to Starz CEO Chris Albrecht, though. He told guests at the Code Media conference that the premium channel will soon offer prepaid cards for its streaming service. It's a matter of accessibility, he argues: there are people who want to watch premium TV shows but can't justify the cost of a cable subscription (or buying show downloads, for that matter) and don't have a credit card.

The cards should be available sometime early this year (in other words, soon), and they should work much like the scratch-and-redeem cards you already find at the store. The concept certainly isn't unusual for streaming services (Netflix has had prepaid cards for a while, as well as Hulu), but it's not so common for traditional TV outlets. Now, as channels like HBO Now and Starz move beyond the cable bundle, they're making similar efforts to reach customers directly.