VOD streaming outlet Fandango at Home, formerly known as Vudu, has set a new partnership with Turner Classic Movies.
In addition to offering TCM titles available for rental or purchase on demand, the new digital storefront will allow viewers to watch a rotation of 30 titles available for free through the end of May. The first batch of films will arrive later this week, with the storefront’s free offerings then refreshed each week.
The free streaming initiative is tied to the 15th anniversary of the TCM Classic Film Festival. During this year’s edition, which runs April 18 to 21, Fandango at Home is setting up a “living room” promotional space at the TCL Chinese on Hollywood Boulevard.
The 30 free films have all screened at the TCM festival over the years. Drawn from TCM’s collection of Warner Bros, MGM and RKO films, the list includes Cool Hand Luke, The Dirty Dozen, and Rebel Without a Cause.
TCM has had an eventful few years in streaming. When its then-parent WarnerMedia was acquired by AT&T in 2018, the telecom giant shut down the TCM-backed streaming service FilmStruck, prompting a fierce backlash among A-list filmmakers and others in Hollywood. Current owners Warner Bros Discovery last year alarmed that same crowd last year by sweeping TCM up into widespread staff cutbacks, leading to emergency intervention by Steven Spielberg and others. The brand has had a fairly low profile on general-entertainment service Max since its launch as HBO Max in 2020, retaining a presence for avid viewers only via a dedicated streaming app requiring a pay-TV subscription.
Cameron Douglas, SVP of OTT/Streaming for Fandango, noted that the partnership is making some of the titles available for free for the first time. “Through this new relationship, we aim to celebrate the rich cinematic history represented by TCM’s extensive film library and offer our dedicated users special deals and offers,” he added.
Fandango, which is a division of NBCUniversal, acquired Vudu from Walmart in 2020.
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