Fandango scoops up Rotten Tomatoes and Flixster
In a move that will further consolidate control of the online moviegoer market, advance movie ticket retailer Fandango has inked a deal to purchase movie review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes and streaming video service Flixster from Warner Bros Entertainment.
The acquisition solidifies Fandango's current push to become a digital one-stop shop for movie fans, providing information on showtimes, ticketing, reviews and entertainment news as well as a video on-demand service to be launched later this year. With the addition of Rotten Tomatoes and Flixster, Fandango's monthly online audience grows to 63 million visitors.
As part of the deal, Warner Bros Entertainment will take a minority stake in Fandango, which will continue to operate as a part of NBCUniversal. In 2015, Fandango boasted an 81 percent growth in U.S. ticketing and 1 billion visits to its website.
"Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes are invaluable resources for movie fans, and we look forward to growing these successful properties, driving more theatrical ticketing and super-serving consumers with all their movie needs," Fandango President Paul Yanover said in a statement.
"Our new expanded network will offer unparalleled capabilities for all of our exhibition, studio and promotional partners to reach a massive entertainment audience with innovative marketing and ticketing solutions that benefit from original content, home entertainment products, 'super tickets,' gifts with purchase and other new promotional opportunities."