50 Cent has taken aim at Verizon CEO Dan Schulman after STARZ disappeared from Verizon Fios following the expiration of a carriage agreement. The producer and performer framed the outage as a major problem for viewers looking for the Power universe and other programming he produces for STARZ, particularly calling out New York and New Jersey in a social-media post.
The immediate issue is not a cancellation of the shows themselves. It is a distribution dispute: Verizon Fios removed STARZ linear channels, its on-demand programming, and access through the relevant app after the companies did not renew their agreement by Wednesday night. That distinction matters for audiences. The programming remains associated with STARZ, but Fios subscribers who had received it through Verizon lost that route of access while the negotiations remain unresolved.
What a carriage dispute means for viewers
A carriage agreement is the contract that allows a television provider to carry a network’s channels and related services. In this case, STARZ supplies entertainment programming while Verizon Fios is the provider that makes it available to qualifying subscribers through its TV platform. These agreements can cover more than a traditional channel number: the reported interruption also includes on-demand content and app access tied to the Fios arrangement.
When an agreement ends without a replacement in place, the practical result is a blackout. The network may no longer be available through that provider even though the network, its productions, and its wider business continue to operate. For a viewer, that can mean a series abruptly disappears from the subscription bundle they already pay for. For a network and the distributor, it creates public pressure to reach terms, especially when recognizable franchises are involved.
The impact is therefore broader than 50 Cent’s warning to fans in New York and New Jersey. The failed renewal affects Verizon Fios customers who receive STARZ through the service. Neither side had announced a completed resolution at the time service disappeared.
50 Cent puts the spotlight on Power and diversity
In his post, 50 Cent called the situation a new “beef” and used an insult directed at Schulman. He said New York and New Jersey viewers would be unable to watch the Power universe or other STARZ productions connected to him. He also alleged that Schulman believed STARZ did not need to be carried in those markets and linked the dispute to diversity.
Those are 50 Cent’s allegations and characterization of the decision, not a statement attributed to Schulman or Verizon. The reported Verizon position before the blackout was that it remained actively involved in constructive talks. That language indicates negotiations were still underway, but it does not establish why an agreement was not reached or when access might return.
Schulman became Verizon’s chief executive in October 2025 after nine years leading PayPal. His position makes him an obvious target for an artist responding to a high-profile disruption, although carriage negotiations are generally corporate discussions involving programming and distribution businesses rather than a public fight between an individual producer and a CEO.
STARZ says Verizon chose to remove the network
STARZ Networks President Alison Hoffman placed responsibility squarely on Verizon. Hoffman said STARZ had made extensive efforts to secure a renewal and avoid an interruption for Fios customers. She further accused Verizon of misrepresenting STARZ’s position, lacking a willingness to negotiate, and failing to move the parties toward a mutually beneficial deal.
That response presents the core disagreement in unusually direct terms. Verizon’s stated position before the blackout emphasized ongoing, constructive discussions. STARZ says its attempts to preserve uninterrupted service were not met with productive negotiations. The available statements do not disclose the precise commercial terms separating the companies, so viewers cannot yet see whether the conflict concerns fees, packaging, app rights, on-demand access, or another part of the distribution deal.
That missing detail is important. It would be easy to turn the dispute into a simple story of one company choosing against a specific show or audience. The facts available support a narrower conclusion: a STARZ-Verizon carriage agreement expired, Fios access to the network’s channels and related services was removed, and both parties publicly indicated that talks had not produced a renewal.
Why this hits the Power audience especially hard
50 Cent’s frustration has added weight because G-Unit Film & Television continues to make projects for STARZ. Although his exclusive deal with the network ended in 2022, the company remains involved with Fightland and ongoing installments in the Power franchise. A distribution interruption can therefore affect not only fans trying to watch a familiar library, but also the visibility of current and future work connected to a producer whose brand is closely associated with the channel.
The dispute also lands against a backdrop of 50 Cent’s earlier, public conflicts with STARZ itself. In 2022, he criticized then-network leadership over what he saw as a lengthy gap between shows and delays involving Power Book IV: Force. His complaint at the time focused on the relationship between scheduling, production timelines, and retaining viewers between installments.
A year earlier, he condemned STARZ after an episode of BMF that he directed appeared online early and was subsequently removed. Those episodes were separate disputes, and they involved 50 Cent’s criticism of the network rather than Verizon. Still, they show that he has repeatedly made programming and release concerns public when he believes projects attached to his name are being mishandled.
This time, the unusual wrinkle is that STARZ and 50 Cent are aligned in objecting to a loss of access. STARZ wants a new distribution agreement, while 50 Cent is emphasizing the audience impact on social media. Their shared concern does not mean they necessarily have the same role in the negotiation: STARZ is the network party seeking carriage, while G-Unit Film & Television is a producer of programming associated with the service.
What to watch as negotiations continue
The key development will be whether Verizon and STARZ reach a new agreement and restore the channels, on-demand material, and app access for affected Fios customers. Until that happens, viewers should separate confirmed access changes from the broader rhetoric surrounding the dispute. The confirmed change is the removal of STARZ from Fios after the prior agreement expired. Claims about intent, audience value, diversity, and responsibility remain contested in the parties’ public messaging.
For the entertainment business, the episode is another reminder that a streaming-era audience can still be affected by legacy-style distribution deals. Apps and on-demand libraries may feel independent from channel packages, but the reported loss of both alongside STARZ’s linear feeds shows how tightly those rights can be connected within a provider agreement. It also places creators in an awkward position: they may have highly visible franchises, but their viewers’ access can be controlled by negotiations between a network and a platform.
Distribution is becoming a central concern across entertainment, from television access to how partners market programming and platforms; recent moves in partner marketing and distribution underline how valuable those relationships are. In the STARZ-Fios dispute, the immediate stakes are simpler: access for subscribers and a deal that both companies are willing to sign.
For now, the blackout remains unresolved. STARZ says it is willing to restore service through a new agreement. Verizon had said it was engaged in discussions. 50 Cent, meanwhile, has ensured that the disruption is not just a contract story—it is now a very public grievance involving one of STARZ’s best-known producing partners and the fans following his television work.
