ATLANTA – Turner has announced plans to launch the company's first direct-to-consumer product in the U.S., a movie streaming service known as FilmStruck.
The new subscription video on-demand service is slated to launch in fall 2016, and will be developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies (TCM) in collaboration with the Criterion Collection. Programming will include a constantly refreshed library of contemporary and classic art house, indie, foreign and cult films from indie studios including Janus Films, Flicker Alley, Icarus, Kino, Milestone and Zeitgeist, along with movies from Hollywood's major movie studios such as Warner Bros.
FilmStruck will also be the new exclusive streaming home for the critically acclaimed and award-winning Criterion Collection, which will include the Criterion Channel, a new premium service programmed and curated by the Criterion team.
Pricing for the service was not disclosed. The news release said that viewers may watch FilmStruck movies anywhere and anytime on the device of their choice, in “a completely ad-free environment”. When contacted by Cartt.ca, a spokesperson said the SVoD service will only be available in the U.S. at launch, but that Turner will “explore international availability of FilmStruck in the future”.
"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 Turner chairman and CEO John Martin, in the 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."
"Criterion is teaming up with TCM to launch an arthouse film lovers' dream streaming service," added Criterion Collection president Peter Becker. "Working with TCM's programming team, we'll present a broad, constantly changing cross-section of Criterion titles on FilmStruck, a platform designed from the start to present films with the kind of robust supplemental features that Criterion is known for. The addition of the premium Criterion Channel will offer subscribers the most comprehensive Criterion experience ever available anywhere, including a steady stream of exclusive original content and archival discoveries, plus continual access to more than 1,000 films from the Janus Films library, many unavailable on disc or anywhere else. We're very excited to be joining forces with TCM to make FilmStruck the streaming service serious movie fans have been waiting for."
