Fearnet is bringing its horror, thriller and suspense video content to Time Warner Cable and Verizon subscribers after securing long-term carriage agreements with both video providers.
Fearnet also announced that Comcast has started to roll out its programming on the cable operator’s linear platform.
Fearnet will launch on Time Warner Cable’s VOD platform starting this month, with New York launching VOD on May 9, followed by SD and HD linear on May 11. Fearnet had a previous carriage agreement with Time Warner Cable several years ago, but the two sides didn’t renew their carriage agreement again until recently.
Fearnet is launching nationwide on Verizon’s linear FiOS service; Verizon already offers Fearnet shows on its VOD service.
Comcast started offering HD and SD Fearnet shows in Philadelphia on April 12 to go with a pre-existing VOD agreement that covers its entire footprint.
The Fearnet brand recently expanded to include Fearnet HD, a linear cable channel where horror, thriller and suspense fans will find more than 300 movies a year, including regularly scheduled world, broadcast and network premieres, as well as new series and original interstitial content. The move to linear followed four years of incubation and growth on VOD, where Fearnet has become the No. 1 free movie service.
“In a very short window, the Fearnet launch team has secured an outstanding first batch of linear distribution partners, designed a great schedule and really utilized our outreach into the Hollywood horror community – for movies, commentary and on-camera fun,” said Peter Block, Fearnet’s president and general manager. “We’re extremely grateful to the genre lovers nationwide who have taken the time to call their local television providers to request Fearnet.”
Fearnet said the new carriage agreements marked the first wave of an expansion that is expected to take Fearnet HD above 10 million U.S. homes within the next year, in addition to the existing 26 million VOD households.
Fearnet is also working with distributors on TV Everywhere initiatives that include the streaming of Fearnet’s linear channel, along with hundreds of hours of VOD content, to authenticated customers.
