Plex Partners with Fandango to Sell Movie Theater Tickets Using Streaming Data

Image: Ars Technica · Source

Plex integrates with Fandango, enabling users to buy movie theater tickets directly from its platform while leveraging streaming discovery data to benefit studios and advertisers.

Plex, originally known for its media server software that enabled users to share their own movies, is expanding its business into new areas by partnering with Fandango to sell movie theater tickets. Starting immediately in the US, Plex users will see a Fandango ticketing option on movie title pages for films currently showing in theaters. This allows users to view showtimes and purchase tickets seamlessly through Fandango’s service.

This integration is enhanced by direct attribution via Kochava, which provides studios and advertisers with detailed data on how marketing campaigns and user engagement translate into actual ticket sales. Fandango, which manages ticket sales for approximately 31,000 screens in the United States, gains access to Plex’s extensive streaming behavior data, which includes more than 100 million monthly streaming decisions along with user ratings and cross-platform viewing habits. This data provides valuable insights into audience intent and preferences.

Jerramy Hainline, executive vice president at Fandango, emphasized that Plex’s unique information about what movie fans are searching for and watching across various services allows the two companies to connect movie discovery directly to ticket purchasing. This creates a smoother path from user interest to theater attendance while offering studios and advertisers measurable results for their campaigns.

Plex co-founder and chief product officer Scott Olechowski described Plex’s role as a comprehensive discovery platform that helps people find content regardless of where it is streamed. The partnership aims to solve the content discovery challenges prevalent in the streaming industry by using Plex’s user data to generate meaningful recommendations, potentially creating substantial new revenue opportunities.

Beyond this ticket sales integration, Plex has also been developing other ventures, including a streaming service launched over two and a half years ago for movie rentals, a free ad-supported television (FAST) service, and integrated social media features. These initiatives diversify Plex’s revenue streams beyond its original media server software, which continues to exist as a separate option for users who prefer hosting content without utilizing Plex’s streaming or discovery services.

The company highlights that media server users can choose to opt out of certain data sharing, though data is collected from searches conducted within Plex. Challenges remain in sustainably monetizing lifelong licensing passes, but the growth in streaming and ticketing services may help support ongoing development and maintenance of Plex’s media software. Overall, Plex appears focused on expanding its role as a multi-service content discovery and distribution platform while maintaining its core media server offerings.