Fandango continues it’s acquisition streak today as it has purchased both Flixster and the popular rating site Rotten Tomatoes. In return Warner Bros. will become a partner with Fandango, as well as taking an equity stake in the company.
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They’ve also stated that both sites will remain up and running and will continue to be their own entities. In fact, Fandango will be integrating its services into the Flixster app, but no word yet on if they will be adding anything to Rotten Tomatoes (though it would make sense). Combined, the mobile apps for Fandango and Flixster have more than 100 million downloads. As for the brand, Fandango’s outlook on growth has them reaching 63 million unique visitors a month.
Here is what Fandango president Paul Yanover had to say about the recent dealings (via Variety)
“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,” said Fandango president Paul Yanover.
“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,” he added.
“Combining the expertise and assets of Fandango, Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes will create an incredible resource for consumers to fulfill all their moviegoing needs,” said Warner Bros. exec Thomas Gewecke. “Bringing these properties together into a single, integrated portfolio creates an opportunity to truly accelerate innovation in movie discovery and ticketing, making moviegoing an even more compelling experience.”
I have to agree with that last statement. Having all of these entities under the same umbrella just makes good business sense, though I will be interested to see if over time they don’t just phase the Flixster brand out and unite it under Fandango.
