Cinedigm is broadening the content offering for its flagship streaming service Cineverse, unveiling today it’s made an expanded distribution agreement with Filmhub to add more than 18,000 new movies and TV episodes to the platform.
The deal marks the first time Cinedigm completed a major third-party content transaction for Cineverse, which the company said will now carry over 32,000 titles. Filmhub, a distribution platform that helps content owners distribute their assets directly to streaming services, will bring Cineverse film titles such as “An Honest Liar, “Rickshaw Girl,” among others.
Launched this past September, Cineverse combines Cinedigm’s slate of on-demand content with the company’s collection of free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels. Cineverse’s ultimate goal, according to Cinedigm President and Chief Strategy Officer Erick Opecka, is to offer consumers a diverse range of content that can’t be found on other subscription-based services.
“Our partnership with Filmhub grants us full access to a huge catalog of high-quality independent films, documentaries, television series, and short-form content from around the world allowing us to easily surpass our goal of adding more than 15,000 titles in Q1 2023,” Opecka stated.
Cineverse at this point is fully ad-supported, but Cinedigm has said it eventually plans to roll out a premium ad-free tier. The Cineverse app is currently available on iOS, Android, Roku and Samsung. Cinedigm in its announcement today said support for Amazon’s Fire TV, LG and Apple TV “will be made available shortly.”
Filmhub CEO and Co-founder Alan d’Escragnolle noted the deal with Cinedigm is a “great win” for Filmhub’s distributor and producer clients.
“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,” said d’Escragnolle in a statement.
Cinedigm in November inked a similar deal with ROW8, another film distribution platform that has licensing deals with major Hollywood studios like Disney, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. The agreement allowed Cinedigm to introduce “still in theaters” titles to Cineverse.
Alongside increasing its content library, Cinedigm is beefing up its advertising capabilities. The company also announced today it’s teamed up with ad tech platform TripleLift, enabling Cinedigm’s ad partners to deliver dynamic, contextually relevant ads on connected TVs.
Specifically, Cinedigm will integrate TripleLift’s programmatic technology into its Dynamic Overlay and Split-Screen ad units. Brands that run ads across Cineverse and Cinedigm’s FAST channels will be able to leverage that technology through the demand-side platform of their choice.
“We know that advertising experiences should complement the quality of a viewer’s content experience,” stated Tony Huidor, Cinedigm’s chief technology and product officer. “We are excited to offer brands new and unique ways to stand out. That’s where TripleLift’s In-Show technology is a great fit for our needs.”