FANDANGO ACQUIRES ZEFR'S MOVIECLIPS, THE LARGEST MOVIE TRAILER AND CONTENT NETWORK ON YOUTUBE

LOS ANGELES, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination, today announced it has signed an agreement with ZEFR, Inc. (ZEFR) to acquire MOVIECLIPS, the leading movie presence on YouTube.  The MOVIECLIPS network consists of MOVIECLIPS.com and 25 YouTube channels, including the #1 movie trailers channel.  The entire network encompasses a catalog of 45,000 curated film clips, trailers, and original video productions.  With more than 7 million subscribers, MOVIECLIPS' YouTube network averages 200 million video views per month.*  

The MOVIECLIPS acquisition will enable Fandango to expand the moviegoer experience across more platforms with broader product offerings in video, content and movie discovery.  The combination of Fandango's ticketing platform with MOVIECLIPS' highly engaged audience creates a powerful proposition for movie marketers and promotional partners looking to reach a massive entertainment audience.

"The MOVIECLIPS acquisition will further serve our fans, enhancing the Fandango experience with amazing video content available at one definitive destination," said Paul Yanover, President of Fandango.  "This deal, along with the launch of our redesigned website and mobile apps, will provide consumers an even better way to explore and share their passion for the movies."

Since its inception in 2009, ZEFR's MOVIECLIPS division has built a successful business around making memorable cinema moments available to fans, and helping studio partners monetize them.   It has partnered with major Hollywood studios and licensed their content to create and distribute bite-sized clips from popular feature films, generating more than 5.2 billion video views across its MOVIECLIPS YouTube Network to date. The MOVIECLIPS business and its team will transfer to Fandango, while ZEFR will now further expand its core offerings in brand, rights and content management solutions.

"The MOVIECLIPS team is very excited to join Fandango. This is a tremendous opportunity for everyone involved to be part of building the ultimate destination for moviegoers and fans alike," said Rich Raddon, co-founder, ZEFR. "When we created MOVIECLIPS five years ago, we saw the huge potential of YouTube as a place for fans to connect with content.  MOVIECLIPS played a key role in helping develop ZEFR and we're thrilled to be sending it to Fandango where it will continue to be utilized and enjoyed on such a large scale." 

MOVIECLIPS video content will also be featured across Fandango's online and mobile platforms, including its newly redesigned website and mobile apps.  Fandango's new website features an improved, streamlined ticketing experience and a sleek, modern interface for showcasing HD video and trailers, high-res movie art, celebrity photos, and more.

The site's new look and feel shines a spotlight on Fandango's fresh and engaging new content: exclusive photo galleries and features, character guides, infographics, quizzes and original video programming including two new family-friendly video series, "Mom's Movie Minute" and "Reel Kids."  Also featured on every page of the site are personalized ticketing widgets that serve up new movie releases at the user's favorite local theaters. 

Fandango's mobile apps, an official nominee at the recently-announced 2014 Webby Awards, have also been updated to complement the new website.

About Fandango
Fandango, the nation's leading moviegoer destination and a unit of NBCUniversal, sells tickets to more than 23,000 screens nationwide. Fandango entertains and informs consumers with reviews, commentary, celebrity interviews and trailers, and offers the ability to quickly select a film, plan where and when to see it, and conveniently buy tickets in advance. For many theaters, fans can print their tickets at home or receive them as a paperless Mobile Ticket on their smartphones. Fandango's top-ranking movie ticketing apps, with more than 40 million downloads, are available on the iPhone and iPad, Android, and many other platforms. Fandango is enjoyed by more than 30 million online and mobile visitors each month, according to comScore.  Film fans also find Fandango on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fandango and on Twitter @Fandango.

About ZEFR
ZEFR is the leading SaaS platform for brands, rights and content management on YouTube. ZEFR provides enterprise technology solutions for the world's most respected brands and the largest professional rights owners, allowing them to measure, leverage and engage fans of their content and products on YouTube. ZEFR helps partners understand fans, monetize IP, create awareness and build an audience on YouTube. Clients include adidas, Warner Bros., Sony Music, Real Madrid, Universal Pictures, Saturday Night Live, Hasbro Studios and more. ZEFR is headquartered in Venice, CA.

*Subscriber numbers and video views from YouTube reporting

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SOURCE Fandango

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