Tag: Cineverse

Cinedigm Expands Cineverse Streaming Platform to Offer Major Hollywood Movies for Rent

There’s a new digital platform to rent Hollywood movies.

Cinedigm Feb. 10 announced that it has integrated ROW8 into its recently launched Cineverse streaming app. The platform is now offering consumers the ability to view recently released movies via a premium VOD rental.

ROW8’s entire catalog of more than 2,000 titles will be featured on Cineverse, including Disney/Marvel Studios’ Oscar-nominated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, M3GAN, Paramount Home Entertainment’s Oscar-nominated Babylon, and Lionsgate’s Plane, among others.

ROW8 has licensing deals with Disney, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal, and Warner Bros. Pictures, among others. Additionally, Cinedigm’s upcoming theatrical releases will be distributed on Cineverse via ROW8.

“With this deal, Cinedigm significantly enhances Cineverse’s film catalog and joins an elite club of streaming platforms that offer in-theater and newly released films,” Tony Huidor, chief technology and product officer, said in a statement.

Jasmina Christoph, founder/president of ROW8, said expanding the platform’s TVOD footprint is an all-around win for all parties.

“Cinedigm has consistently demonstrated an unerring approach to meeting the diverse needs of its consumers, and unlocking high value viewing occasions via the freshest and most recognizable films in the world will further enhance their already compelling consumer offer,” Christoph said.

Cinedigm reports fiscal results on Feb. 14.

Cinedigm Adding 18,000 Movies, TV Shows Through Distribution Pact With Filmhub

Cinedigm Jan. 10 announced it is adding more than 18,000 movies and television episodes to its branded Cineverse streaming service through an agreement with indie film distributor Filmhub.

The deal between the two companies marks the first major third-party content transaction completed on behalf of Cineverse, which Los Angeles-based Cinedigm launched last September showcasing its owned and managed channels, including AsianCrush, Bloody Disgusting, The Bob Ross Channel, The Country Channel, CONtv, CONtv Anime, Crime Hunters, Docurama, The Dove Channel, The Elvis Presley Channel, Fandor and Screambox.

Through the pact, Cineverse will now carry more than 32,000 movie and television episodes available at cineverse.com, as well as across iOS, Android, Roku and Samsung connected television apps. In addition, support for Amazon Fire TV, LG webOS and Apple TV apps will be made available shortly.

Some of the films to be available on Cineverse as a result of this Filmhub deal include An Honest Liar (2014), Rickshaw Girl (2022) and Still Breathing (starring Brendan Fraser). These titles will also be featured across Cinedigm’s other AVOD, SVOD and FAST streaming brands.

“One of our primary goals [through Cineverse) is to offer consumers unlimited access to an immense diversity and range of entertainment content that consumers have been denied by other subscription-based services,” Erick Opeka, Cinedigm’s president and chief strategy officer, claimed in a statement.

Opeka said the Filmhub deal affords Cinedigm access to high-quality independent films, documentaries, television series, and short-form content from around the world.

“As the world becomes more diverse in its interests and technology enables content personalization at scale, we’re excited to see our premium new releases and full content catalog find new audiences on Cineverse and across Cinedigm’s portfolio of streaming channels,” added Alan d’Escragnolle, co-founder/CEO of Filmhub. 

Cinedigm Launches All-in-One Streaming Platform Cineverse

Cinedigm Sept. 15 launched its flagship ad-supported streaming service Cineverse (cineverse.com) across iOS, Android and Roku apps. The platform offers a streaming film and television episode library, in addition to existing free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) linear channels AsianCrush, Bloody Disgusting, The Bob Ross Channel, The Country Channel, CONtv, CONtv Anime, Crime Hunters, Docurama, The Dove Channel, The Elvis Presley Channel, Fandor and Screambox.

“With the launch today, we begin an important journey as a company,” Cinedigm CEO Chris McGurk said in a statement. “Our mission is to build the Spotify of independent film and television, with the largest library of film and TV programming in the world.”

Cineverse will focus on several fundamental areas that it claims are ignored by the major streamers.

The platform aims to build the world’s largest film and television library, offering the diversity and variety that it claims viewers are being denied on subscription-based services. Users can access linear channels and on-demand titles in one place, browsing through the genres from anime and horror to sci-fi/fantasy, comedy, music and independent.

The platform plans to add more than 10,000 films and television episodes by the end of the year and several hundred thousand more over the next three years. Cinedigm will launch with entertainment content from its own streaming library provided by more than 600 licensors and expects to expand the licensor pool over the coming year.

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Through the company’s partnership with cloud-based software-as-a-service technology provider Amagi, Cinedigm anticipates adding a broad range of additional curated channels from Amagi, monetized using Amagi’s first-party ad platform, Amagi Ads Plus.

Cineverse says it will lower the frequency of repeat advertisements and through its proprietary Matchpoint software that utilizes AI-based technology to ensure ad breaks that don’t interfere with the user experience by interrupting the flow of a movie or occurring mid-dialog.

The platform will deploy natural language search in the coming months. This will allow users to conversationally interact with Cineverse’s guide through natural speech or text dialogue, the same way one would interact with a human recommender.

Unlike most content search algorithms, Cineverse will focus on helping users find the right content, at the right time, suited for their current device and mood leveraging AI as well as advanced contextual tagging from partners such as Katch and others, according to Cinedigm.

Cinedigm plans on expanding application support for all major connected-TV platforms in the coming months, with Samsung, Amazon Fire TV, Vizio, LG, Apple TV and Android TV apps coming to market over the next quarter. Next-generation search features are currently in development and will debut in the coming months.

Additionally, Cinedigm plans to rapidly expand consumer reach by distributing Cineverse on a white-label basis to hardware OEMs, telecoms, cable providers, theatrical exhibitors and retailers. The company’s distribution team has used this model to grow Cinedigm’s channel business, which is currently available on more than 1.1 billion devices globally. The company will also drive adoption of the service utilizing its 87 million viewer base and app install base across mobile, CTV and social footprints.

“We took a deep look at the market and asked, ‘What can we do to add value and improve fans and users’ experiences?'” said Erick Opeka, president and chief strategy officer of Cinedigm.

Opeka contends that consumers are increasingly frustrated with the chore of finding something to watch. While these precepts are simple, the technology to accomplish them is quite complex, according to Opeka. Leveraging its Matchpoint platform, Cinedigm built a service that can scale to tens of millions of users and mixes curation with next generation search technologies, according to Cinedigm.

“We plan on rolling these innovations out to our entire base of services in the coming weeks and months,” he said.

Cinedigm Partners With Vidgo to Expand Branded Streaming Service Reach

Cinedigm Sept. 14 announced a new deal with upstart online TV platform Vidgo to distribute Cinedigm’s flagship streaming service, Cineverse, which features a lineup of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels plus a library of VOD and TV series. Vidgo plans to launch Cineverse this fall.

At launch, Cineverse will include Fandor, Screambox, RetroCrush, The Bob Ross Channel, The Dove Channel, AsianCrush, El Rey Network, Bloody Disgusting and Comedy Dynamics, among other channels.

“We believe in the freedom to be entertained, and Cinedigm’s channels are just that — freedom to select from a broad range of titles, themes and fun,” Derek Mattsson, CEO of Vidgo, said in a statement.

Through the partnership, Vidgo subscribers will gain full access to Cineverse’s entire video-on-demand content library of more than 10,000 titles and growing portfolio of FAST channels. Cineverse will be integrated directly into Vidgo’s mobile apps, connected TV apps and website. It will also be available to all Vidgo subscribers at no additional cost. The Matchpoint platform, which fully powers the company’s flagship Cineverse service, will serve as the white-label platform that powers the full AVOD experience for Vidgo’s subscribers.

“Cinedigm remains focused on reaching new audiences and expanding distribution of our branded enthusiast channels and broad catalog of content across all genres,” Daniel Schneider, SVP of revenue at Cinedigm, said in a statement.

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The pact comes a day after Vidgo announced it would launch a weekly series, “Shock and Awe,” featuring former Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly, who abruptly left the network in 2017 after it was disclosed the media company had paid millions of dollars to different women to settle sexual harassment claims against him.

“Bill is an American icon,” Mattsson said. “We believe this is exactly the kind of programming that will resonate with our base and substantially grow our subscribers.”