Plex now helps sell movie theater tickets through Fandango partnership
Streaming and media-server platform Plex has partnered with Fandango to offer movie theater ticket purchases. The company says it wants to be the place where people discover what to watch, wherever the content is available.
Plex, a streaming platform that also offers software for hosting personal movie libraries, has expanded into selling movie theater tickets through a partnership with Fandango. The move is part of Plex's effort to become the place where people find something to watch, regardless of where that content is available.
That is how Scott Olechowski, Plex's co-founder and chief product officer, described the aim in a statement. Content discovery is a frequently cited challenge in the streaming industry, and various players are trying to solve it, including smart TV operating system makers, streaming service providers and generative AI chatbots. If Plex can use its user data to drive worthwhile recommendations, monetizing discovery could prove lucrative.
Olechowski added that the company is also building a more measurable path from discovery to purchase for studios and advertisers, helping marketers see which campaigns convert.
A contrast with the server business
The Fandango tie-up contrasts with Plex's media server product, which lets users share movies they own with friends and family without paying Hollywood licensing fees. The ticket-sales move comes more than two and a half years after Plex launched a streaming service where people can rent movies. It has also launched a free ad-supported television (FAST) service and added social features.
These ventures give Plex revenue streams beyond its media server software. For now, the businesses coexist: someone who uses Plex only for media hosting does not have to use its on-demand streaming services, and can opt out of some data sharing. Plex does say, however, that it collects data from media server users searching on Plex.
Plex has discussed the difficulty of making lifetime passes financially sustainable. Its new businesses may help fund improvements or maintenance of the media software, though the company appears largely focused on building out the parts of its business that are not server software.
