Fandango mobile ticket sales up 171% in 2012

Steven Loeb · January 2, 2013 · Short URL: https://vator.tv/n/2ca3

The Fandango app was downloaded 31 million time, and mobile accounted for 30% of all tickets

I don't know what I would do without Fandango. I honestly don't. Where I live right now, the closest movie theater to me is a good 20 minute drive, so, going all the way there, just to find out that the movie I wanted to see was sold out is a very unappealing prospect. The comfort of knowing that I am definitely going to see the movie I want to see, when I want to see it, is totally worth the upcharge.

I am apparently nowhere near the only person who feels that way, as Fandango announced Wednesday that 2012 was the best year in its decade long history, with new records highs in ticket sales, web and mobile traffic, and app downloads.

The company not only saw its annual ticket sales go up by 57% last year, but there was also 34% annual growth in monthly visitors to its online and mobile sites. During peak months, Fandango says that it saw 41 million monthly unique online and mobile visitors.

Fandango attributes its success in 2012 to deals with AMC Theatres, Regency Theatres, and Southern Theatres that expanded its reach, as well as partnerships with Yahoo Movies, AOL Moviefone and MSN Movies, which made Fandango the movie ticketing provider for all three.

On top of the deals it made last year, though, a large part of what made 2012 such a big year for Fandango was mobile. The Fandango app was downloaded 31 million times, a 50% increase, after it became part of Apple's Passbook app on iOS 6. In addition, Fandango saw its its mobile ticket sales increase by 171% year-to-year. Overall, mobile accounted for over 30% of all of Fandango's ticket sales.

Original content

A big trend in 2012 was launching original content, and the online movie ticket provider was no different, getting into the original content game last year, with the launch of the original digital video series, "The Frontrunners."

The show is hosted by former Entertainment Weekly writer Dave Karger, and features interviews with awards contenders, including Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman and Amy Adams. The show premiered in December and is set to debut new episodes weekly through the end of movie awards season in February.

Fandango joined Amazon, Hulu YouTube and Netflix, as producing original content is the name of the game.

In May, Amazon announced that it would be developing original comedy and children’s series for Instant Video, allowing anyone with an idea to submit a pitch. Amazon also launched Amazon Game Studios, as well as its first social game called Living Classics. The game features a family of foxes have to be reunited after wandering into scenes from classic literature, such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz, and King Arthur. In October, it launched its first mobile game, called Air Patriots.

In January, Netflix debuted its first series, Lilyhammer, executive produced and starring Steven Van Zandt from The Sopranos. Netflix also succeeded in getting the rights to produce new episodes of Arrested Development, which will debut next year.

Hulu announced its first original series, called Battleground, a political comedy following a candidate for the Wisconsin Senate seat, that aired in February. In May, Hulu layed out a host of original series it would be producing during the summer, with shows ranging from comedy and sci-fi to travel and reality, including Spoilers, a movie talks show hosted by director Kevin Smith.

What's next for Fandango

After its record breaking 2012, Fandango says that it plans to continue with what has already been working. It will launch two more original series hosted by Karger, and will bring increased reserved seating and paperless mobile ticketing options to theaters. Fandango launched mobile tickets in 2010, which allow users to download a scannable barcode on their cell phones.

"Our 2012 successes have further established Fandango as the go-to resource for the total moviegoing experience – from discovery, decision-making and ticketing, to going to the theater and sharing with friends after the credits roll," Paul Yanover, President of Fandango, said in a statement. "In 2013, we'll continue our momentum and deliver advertising partners, exhibitors, and moviegoers even more products, services, and platforms that super-serve their needs."