FEARnet Strikes Carriage Deal with Insight Communications
Horror Web Site, Video-on-Demand Service Now Available in 17M Homes
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/3/2008 9:38:00 AM
FEARnet signed a distribution deal with cable operator Insight Communications, bringing the horror video-on-demand service's availability to 17 million homes.
FEARnet is a joint venture among Comcast, Sony Pictures Television and Lionsgate, and it is also available on Comcast, Cox Communications and Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV.
Insight is the 10th-ranked cable operator reaching homes in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana.
FEARnet's VOD service that draws on horror libraries from Sony and Lionsgate.
Its Web site is among the fledgling Webisode destinations and has mounted multiple Web series including Devil's Trade and 30 Days of Night: Blood Trails, a companion Web series to the feature film. The seven-episode miniseries -- both produced by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures -- attracted 2 million views, according to the company.
Next up for FEARnet: an interactive horror elimination competition designed to capitalize on March Madness basketball. Death March: Tournament of Blood pits icons of horror including Dracula, Halloween's Michael Myers and Jack, The Shining'sderanged novelist, which users can rank via 16-team bracket pools. Fans vote on which psychotic killer would prevail in a death match. The contest begins March 16. Users can register online.
