Several major Hollywood studios and cable companies announced that they have joined forces for a significant push to expand consumer awareness of Movies On Demand, a service that provides a convenient and affordable way to rent top-grossing box office hits on cable.
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Unedited press release follows:
Major Hollywood Studios and Cable Companies Launch $30 Million National Campaign to Promote Movies on Demand®
‘The Video Store Just Moved In™’ Ad Campaign to Launch This Week via TV, Print and Online to Entice More Consumers to Join Growing Trend in Renting Movies on Demand on Cable
LOS ANGELES & NEW YORK — Mar 17, 2010 The nation’s major Hollywood studios and cable companies have joined forces for a significant push to expand consumer awareness of the extraordinary value offered by Movies On Demand®, a service that provides a convenient and affordable way to rent top-grossing box office hits on cable.
The $30 million TV, print and online campaign is themed, “The Video Store Just Moved In™” and illustrates in a fun way how easy it is for digital cable customers to view movies in their homes with a click of the remote. In addition, during the next twelve weeks, the advertising will feature a wide variety of recent release titles, some of which are being offered on Movies On Demand® the same day as the DVD is available in stores (Day-and-Date).
“Movies On Demand is a great way for consumers to rent movies, they are reasonably priced, always available, and the number of Day-and-Date titles continues to increase year over year,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Bros Home Entertainment Group. “Warner Bros was the first major studio to test Day-and-Date on demand back in 2006 and the results have been so positive that nearly all of our titles will be Day-and-Date this year.”
Leading Movies On Demand distributor iN DEMAND reports that in just two years there has been more than a seven-fold increase in the number of Day-and-Date titles offered to digital cable customers nationally. Furthermore, according to Rentrak, in 2009 eight of the top 10 performing Movies On Demand were released Day-and-Date with DVD, including “Bride Wars,” “Gran Torino,” “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “Twilight,” showing the power of such an offering.
“Consumers are accelerating their use of Movies on Demand because it’s the easiest and fastest way for them to find and enjoy top new releases,” said Derek Harrar, SVP, GM Video and Entertainment Services, Comcast. “Improvements in technology, the instant availability of the most recent box office hits and thousands of library titles have fundamentally changed viewing patterns.”
Mike Dunn, President, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Worldwide added, “There is a significant shift with consumers renting Movies On Demand due to the in-home convenience and the extensive selection of the newest releases. We’ve seen On Demand rentals hit an all time high this past year and research shows that it will continue to grow.”
The opening slate of Hollywood hits includes the critically acclaimed “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” starring Academy Award® winner Mo’Nique, the box office blockbuster “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” the action-packed favorite “Ninja Assassin,” and “Pirate Radio,” starring Academy Award® winner Philip Seymour Hoffman. Also debuting are “Astro Boy,” “Bandslam,” “Did You Hear About the Morgans?,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “The Fourth Kind.”
“We’re committed to invigorating the cable Movies On Demand business,” said Rob Marcus, Chief Financial Officer, Time Warner Cable. “By strengthening the relationship with our movie studio partners through endeavors like these we’re able to deliver a truly exciting On Demand experience to our customers.”
The cable partners in the Movies On Demand® initiative include Armstrong, Bend Broadband, Bright House Networks, iO TV, Comcast, Cox, Insight and Time Warner Cable. The studio partners include 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Rogue, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.
The “The Video Store Just Moved In™” marketing assets include TV spots, print ads and interactive media, and a dedicated website (www.cablevideostore.com). The campaign also introduces a universal logo for Movies On Demand® that will be used by all the participating cable companies and studios. The logo, which is green in color, speaks to the fast green beam of light that takes movies from the in-home video store featured in the TV ad right to the television set – proving how quick and convenient Movies On Demand® is. Comparable to other entertainment industry products that have an identifiable logo, the Movies On Demand® image will remind consumers that the latest releases are available to rent right at home.
Concept and execution for the campaign was handled by Berlin Cameron United. Campaign media was planned and bought by OMD U.S.
The Movies On Demand® initiative is a multimedia promotional campaign made possible by the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing Co-op. The cable partners include Armstrong, Bend Broadband, Bright House Networks, iO TV, Comcast, Cox, Insight and Time Warner Cable. The studio partners include 20th Century Fox, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Rogue, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros Entertainment, Inc.