FilmStruck, Turner’s new OTT subscription VOD service for film aficionados, is set to launch to launch on October 19 on multiple platforms and start at $6.99 per month, the company announced Thursday.
The service, which will feature a large library of contemporary and classic arthouse, indie, foreign and cult films, will initially be offered on Amazon Fire TV devices, Web browsers, and iOS- and Android-powered mobile devices. It will also be available via Apple TV and other platforms and devices in the coming months, Turner said.
Plans for FilmStruck, a service developed and managed by Turner Classic Movies in partnership with the Criterion Collection, were announced in April.
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FilmStruck, which will serve as the exclusive streaming home to the Criterion Collection library and The Criterion Channel (starting November 11), will be available in three pricing tiers:
-A $6.99 per month subscription with “hundreds” of films along with exclusive fare and originally-produced pieces that will be refreshed frequently.
-A FilmStruck + The Criterion Channel Subscription that runs $10.99 per month, featuring the baseline FilmStruck service plus access to Criterion’s full streaming library of films and features, as well as original programming such as filmmaker profiles and curated series featuring “celebrated guests from the film world and beyond.”
-An annual subscription to FilmStruck + The Criterion Channel for a reduced price of $99.
Consumers will also have a chance to try out the service with a 14-day free trial.
FilmStruck's library will feature a library of curated, refreshed films indie studios such as as Janus Films, Flicker Alley, Icarus Films, Kino, Milestone, Zeitgeist, Film Movement, Global Lens, First Run Features, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Shout Factory, along with titles from majors such as Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Examples of individual titles to be featured include Babette's Feast, Blood Simple, Blow-Up, Breaker Morant, A Hard Day's Night, Mad Max, Metropolis, Moulin Rouge, My Life as a Dog, Paths of Glory, The Player, A Room with a View, Seven Samurai, The Seventh Seal, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Stardust Memories, The Trip to Bountiful, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and Woodstock.
FilmStruck will also feature more than 70 curated and constantly refreshed programming “themes,” such as The Beauty of Italy (collection of films highlighting the country); Cinema Passport (a monthly showcase of the work of “countries rich in film history and culture); and Early Kubrick (early films from the renowned director Stanley Kubrick); and Panic Room (a monthly franchise that explores cult and indie horror film, hosted by actor-comedian Lucky Yates).
The service will also include hosted introductions from film critics, actors and others, including Yates, actor Bill Hader, and film reporter, critic and TV host Alicia Malone.
"Turner smartly identified a strategic way to move into the direct-to-consumer business by creating an over-the-top offering that was additive to the TV landscape, with programming not readily available in the streaming marketplace and that was completely differentiated from what TCM already offers," said Coleman Breland, president of Turner Content Distribution and TCM, in a statement. "FilmStruck super-serves a niche and devoted audience of film fans and will be a strong addition to Turner's portfolio of leading brands."
"FilmStruck is a departure from the timeless Hollywood classics that we offer at TCM and a genuinely distinct offering for the streaming marketplace, focusing on a thoughtfully curated experience around hard-to-find, critically acclaimed, independent films from the most celebrated libraries in the world," added Jennifer Dorian, general manager of TCM and FilmStruck."By combining the expertise at TCM and the Criterion Collection – two of the leading authorities in film preservation and history – we have created something really special that is a must-have for passionate film lovers."
