FX Adds Hits to VOD
by Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 1/4/2009 7:00:00 PM
FX, which received promising early returns from three series this fall, is poised to expand its video-on-demand offerings with Comcast, making Nip/Tuck and Damages installments available on the platform this month.
Vice president of advanced services Will Flannery expects FX to complete deals with other carriers that will make network series and theatrical fare accessible on a VOD basis to some 20 million homes in the first quarter.
Launched on Comcast systems in September, FX VOD and FX HD VOD, which include a limited commercial load, drew a combined 10 million views for episodes of the fourth season of comedy It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and the rookie campaigns of Testees and motorcycle drama Sons of Anarchy, according to network officials citing Rentrak data.
FX was “very pleased” with the series' collective three-month VOD numbers, but especially encouraged by indicators showing that nearly 95% of the views were for the entire episodes.
“[Fox Cable] has had other shows where viewers watched the full episodes, but nowhere near the consistency of the FX shows,” said Flannery.
Another key takeaway: the shows over-indexed among households with HD VOD.
Next up: VOD availability of the concluding arc of the fifth season of plastic surgeon series Nip/Tuck and the 22-installment second season of the Emmy Award-winning, Glenn Close-starrer Damages. The shows premiere on FX at 10 p.m. on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, respectively, and will be accessible on VOD shortly after their linear debuts.
Fox, Fuel Rev Up On-Demand Lineups
04/01/2009Close, Cranston Repeats As Top Drama Actors
09/20/2009FX Scores With Early VOD Returns
12/30/2008VOOM Launches HD VOD Service
06/17/2008FX’s Landgraf Signs a Three-Year Renewal
05/26/2008
