NCM Engages "Super-Fans" with Fantasy Movie League

National CineMedia NCM America39s largest cinema advertising network acquired Fantasy Movie League earlier this yearamp160and added FML39s team of fantasy experts who also built the online fantasy sports games for companies like Yahoo ESPN Fox and the NFL to its own roster to help build the company39s digital gaming futureamp160 With Berry still involved as a consultant and evangelist NCM has big plans to bring FML to an even larger audienceA Fantasy Team and MarketFor Berry universally regarded as one of the leaders in fantasy sports the move into movies was a natural one as a former screenwriter himself quotThe more people play fantasy sports the more they39re into sports amp8230 so the more people who play Fantasy Movie League the more they39re going to be into moviesquot he said amp160The market is huge There hasamp160been a 20 rise in fantasy sports over the past five yearsamp160and over 210 million Americans are selfdescribed movie lovers1amp160 That39s more people identifying themselves as movie fans than as fans of the NFL NBA NHL MLB and NASCAR combined amp160Plus Fantasy Movie League attracts a younger more genderbalanced audience than traditional fantasy sports 60 of players are age 35 or underFantasy Movie League aligns perfectly with NCM39s mission to be the connector between brands and movie audiences wherever they are not just inside the theater amp160Adding the competition of fantasy sports to the popularity of movies adds up to the kind of engaged audiences that NCM39s advertising clients are always looking to reach amp160quotWe will use the big screen as the trailer for the digital experience driving audiences from our new Noovie preshow to NCM39s digital properties like Fantasy Movie League and then back to the theater to catch the next big moviequot said NCM Chief Digital Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development Lawrence SnappThat synergy is magnified by how engaged and loyal fantasy players are as they seek new ways to connect interact learn and compete amp160quotTraditional movie fans feel an attachment to their favorite movies but fantasy players feel ownership in regard to the movies they pick in their Fantasy Movie Leaguequot Snapp explained amp160quotIt39s much deeper and more personal than the traditional fan experience amp160Fantasy players have proven to be superfans because they consume more than three times as much media as an average fanquot2 amp160Research has shown that fantasy players are also more brand aware and brand loyalDriving Participation Drives Movie DollarsFantasy Movie League is free to play at fantasymovieleaguecom or by downloading the iOs appamp160so fans can compete from any device amp160The game had previously been divided into four seasons Summer Fall Awardsamp160and Spring amp160but weekly and weekend play has just been added to get new players more quickly and easily involved in the game amp160Movie releases are assigned a value in FML Bux FB the game39s virtual currency amp160Each week players get 1000 FB to fill eight screens in their Fantasy Cineplex with the movies they think will generate the highest gross revenue amp160Just as with other fantasy leagues players automatically compete in the All Cineplexes League and can also join existing public leagues or create their own public or private league amp160NCM also plans to start an ad industry league in the coming yearAs Berry says the game is easy to learn but difficult to master amp160Players research their picks engage in chat rooms and social media groups watch FML videosamp160and listen to FML podcasts but in this caseamp160they also go to the movies and check out the flicks driving box office dollars at their reallife local movieplex amp160Prizes are based both on performance and random drawingsamp160and include everything from Tshirts and movie tickets to great studiosupplied prizes like a lightsaber signed by Luke Skywalker himself Mark HamillFML has grown dramatically since its launch two years ago when Berry Tweeted out a call for his followers to Beta test it amp160Over 100000 people played in the first year due to word of mouth alone amp160Coverage by media outlets including The Hollywood Reporter Huffington Post IMDB Peoplecom and The View followed amp160What began as a grassroots movement among fantasy sports enthusiasts went viral 70 of users joined because a friend invited them into a league amp160With NCM39s big screen promotional muscle behind it on over 20500 screens in more than 1700 movie theaters nationwide in its Noovie preshow Fantasy Movie League is poised for significant increases in player counts league health community development and engagement depthFantasy Movie League is just one piece of NCM39s expanding consumer digital products ecosystem creating new ways for brands to interact with passionate movie audiences amp160There39s more on the horizon NCM is currently developing new digital experiences focusing on content commerce and gaming for movie audiences amp160That39s great news for brands looking to forge deeper connections with NCM39s more than 750 million moviegoing consumers across the US1 Source 2016 Doublebase GfK MRI base A18 Fan Super or Average2 In 2010 ESPN39s Department of Integrated Media Research reported that fantasy fans were spending almost 23 hours on the network39s content every week compared with just seven hours for traditional consumersPhotos courtesy of NCMClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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NCM Engages "Super-Fans" with Fantasy Movie League

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