Fandango to Provide Online Movie Ticketing to IMDb.com, the World's Most Comprehensive Movie Information Site

Fandango to Provide Online Movie Ticketing to IMDb.com, the World's Most Comprehensive Movie Information Site

Internet Movie Database to Provide Ticketing for First Time

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Fandango (www.fandango.com), the nation's largest movie ticketing service, has introduced ticketing on the world's most comprehensive movie information site, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com). The new service, launched in partnership with Tribune Media Services (TMS), enables IMDb.com's millions of unique monthly visitors to buy movie tickets for any theater in the Fandango network up to 45 days in advance of a film's opening.

IMDb.com is the world's most comprehensive movie information site on the Web, with synopses, trivia, reviews and more for more than 430,000 films and television productions. Now, with the addition of Fandango's ticketing capability to over 1,000 theaters and 12,000 screens (representing nearly 70 percent of all U.S. theaters enabled for remote ticketing), IMDb.com users will be able to rely on highly accurate and comprehensive U.S.-based local movie showtimes provided by TMS and click directly to Fandango's website to purchase tickets.

Fandango ticketing capabilities will be found on all movie information pages for films currently in theatrical release at participating theaters. The new functionality will give users one-click access to purchase tickets for the movies they want to see.

"With the addition of movie ticketing from Fandango, we are now able to provide a full spectrum of services for movie fans," says IMDb.com's managing editor, Keith Simanton. "Our users are among the world's most frequent and fervent moviegoers, and they are among the first to see new movies in their theatrical run. We're happy to now offer them the convenience of online ticketing through Fandango."

"The alliance between our leading movie ticketing service and IMDb's comprehensive movie information site is a winning combination, as today's filmgoers regularly use the Internet to discover new movies," says Fandango CEO and president Art Levitt. "Now film fans can research upcoming movies on IMDb.com and purchase advance tickets via Fandango at the same time. We are proud or our new relationship with IMDb.com, the industry's home page, and to be part of IMDb.com's comprehensive suite of services."

About IMDb.com

With a searchable database of more than 430,000 movies and entertainment programs, and approximately 1.6 million industry cast and crew members, the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) is the world's most comprehensive source of information on movies and the film industry. The site features include cast lists, quotes, trivia, reviews, box-office data, celebrity biographies, photographs, coverage of film festivals and major events, and streaming trailers. Founded in 1990, the site includes films from the birth of motion pictures in 1891 to future releases scheduled through 2006, encompassing every genre of film, as well as television shows and video games. In 1998 IMDb.com was acquired by Amazon.com and today operates as an independent website.

Considered the gold standard in the entertainment industry, IMDb.com has more than 25 million unique monthly visitors. To address the keener needs of the industry professional, IMDb.com launched IMDbPro.com (www.imdbpro.com) in January 2002. This subscription service focuses on upcoming production information, contact information for companies and individuals, news from the "Hollywood Reporter," expanded coverage of box-office information, and STARmeter(TM) and MOVIEmeter(TM) rankings which was the basis for the recently-released "Top 25 Stars of 2004."

About Fandango

Fandango, the nation's largest online and phone movie ticketing service, sells tickets to over 1,000 theaters and 12,000 screens (nearly 70 percent of theaters enabled for remote ticketing) and to four out of the five largest U.S. theater chains. Fandango offers moviegoers the ability to select a film, theater and show time, and purchase tickets in advance on www.fandango.com and at 1-800-FANDANGO, the only nationwide phone service for buying movie tickets in advance. Fandango sells tickets to more theaters than all of its competitors combined and is the exclusive ticketing service for the largest North American exhibitors: Carmike Theatres, Century Theatres, Edwards Theatres, Loews Cineplex Entertainment, Regal Cinemas and United Artists Theatres, as well as to Brenden Theatres, Cinemark Theatres, Eastern Federal Theatres, Kerasotes Theatres, Majestic Crest Theatre, R/C Theatres, Signature Theatres, Star Theatres and Wallace Theaters. Fandango allows moviegoers to bypass the box office via Print at Home ticketing and theater kiosks, and offers the "gift of the movies," Fandango Bucks, and an e-mail invitation tool, Evite Friends.

About Tribune Media Services Entertainment Products Division

Tribune Media Services (TMS) is a leading provider of print, online and on-screen entertainment listings and editorial information to newspapers and online media, cable and satellite operators, and consumer electronics companies. Offering a full line of enhanced entertainment information products and services, TMS' TV information clients include Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, New York Times, USA Today, TiVo and Microsoft. TMS collects information from more than 12,500 broadcast, cable and satellite sources worldwide. Its newspaper, cable and satellite program magazines reach more than 30 million households in over 50 major markets on a weekly and monthly basis. Additionally, TMS' passive program guide (PPG) is available in 9 million homes worldwide.

TMS print and online advertising networks provide opportunities to reach nearly 70 million people, through major market newspaper TV supplements and Zap2it.com. TMS Movies collects data from more than 35,000 movie theater screens in North America to create and market print and electronic movie information products and services. TMS Movie information clients include Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., Clear Channel Interactive, Cox Communications, Inc., Los Angeles Times and others. TMS Movies is also the exclusive licensing agent for Fandango, the nation's largest online and phone ticketing service for the movies.

Additionally, TMS offers Zap2it.com, a leading entertainment information website for TV and Movie listings and editorial, and information on the latest video and DVD releases.


Source: Fandango

CONTACT: Harry Medved of Fandango, Inc., +1-310-451-7690, ext. 112,
harry.medved@fandango.com; or Kristin Mariani of IMDb.com, +1-206-266-7180; or
Kristy Bremer of Tribune Media Services, +1-323-660-9004, kbremer@tribune.com

Web site: http://www.zap2it.com/

Web site: http://www.imdbpro.com/

Web site: http://www.imdb.com/

Web site: http://www.fandango.com/


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