FearNet celebrated its one-year anniversary by scaring up nearly 10 million programming views, adding a new on-demand affiliate and signing on 19 new advertisers.
Comcast’s horror and thriller Web site and video-on-demand service, which launched on Halloween 2006, is now available on Cox Communications’ VOD-enabled systems.
The Cox carriage contract, terms of which were not disclosed, marks FearNet’s first on-demand distribution outside of Comcast and expands its presence to 16 million homes, according to network officials.
In October, FearNet, which has full-length films and original minisodes, scored a record 9.9 million programming views, 9 million from Comcast’s on-demand platform and the balance online (at www.fearnet.com), according to Rentrak data.
All told, FearNet has generated more than 100 million video views combined on both platforms during its first year, with original Web series 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails, which premiered Sept. 13, attracting some 4 million views, officials said.
Web traffic has continued to improve as FearNet.com generated 4.1 million impressions via 472,000 unique viewers in October, according to Omniture. The unique visitor count improved 89% over September and 116% from January, respectively. Average duration per user grew 52% to 9 minutes, 21 seconds from 6 minutes, 4 seconds in January.
FearNet also said Web and VOD avails were sold out in October. Nineteen national advertisers have developed marketing initiatives on the platforms, including Hollywood studios Lionsgate, Magnolia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros.and The Weinstein Co.; interactive entertainment firms Electronic Arts and Rockstar Games; and telecom provider Boost Mobile. Unilever and Hasbro recently came aboard.
