For those who receive it, the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) TV channel provides a steady stream of old treasures from the film world. Now, a new service will bring those offerings to over-the-top consumers. Turner has teamed up with the Criterion Collection to launch FilmStruck, a streaming video on-demand (SVOD) product aimed at film buffs.
The exact number of films that will available on FilmStruck hasn’t yet been revealed, but Turner and Criterion have the potential to offer up hundreds, if not thousands of titles to subscribers. The latter company, on its own, has released more than 800 classic movies and modern indie flicks for its consumers. Beyond the films themselves, FilmStruck will also offer curated content from Criterion and a multitude of bonus features.
There are plenty of movie-watching options in the SVOD space, but Turner and Criterion are hoping FilmStruck will appeal to hardcore fans who crave titles they can’t find on platforms like Netflix and Amazon. In that regard, FilmStruck’s strategy is similar to that of Tribeca Shortlist, a service launched last year by Tribeca Film and Lionsgate.
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“At Turner, we are dedicated to engaging fans wherever they are, and we’re investing aggressively in content, new capabilities and new businesses to achieve that goal,” said John Martin, chairman and CEO of Turner, in a press release. “FilmStruck is a terrific example of our strategy to meet consumer demand for great content across all screens. It’s tailor-made for the diehard movie enthusiast who craves a deep, intimate experience with independent, foreign, and art house films. And it takes advantage of TCM’s powerful curation capabilities, as well as its proven track record in building a long-term relationship with passionate film fans.”
FilmStruck’s price will be revealed at a later date. It is expected to arrive sometime in the fall of 2016.
