It can be difficult to decide where to put your streaming dollars. Netflix, Hulu, Mubi, HBO Now, Amazon Prime, and more all offer their compelling reasons to start up a monthly subscription, but for cinephiles, FilmStruck has been the place to get their arthouse, cult, and classic film fix. Since it launched in 2016, the service — a partnership between Turner Classic Movies and The Criterion Collection — has brought titles from the classic film channel and boutique home video label to customers, along with selections from Janus Films, Flicker Alley, Icarus, Kino, Milestone and Zeitgeist. Now, the catalog is expanding.
Time Warner has decided to shutter Warner Archive, and roll over the customers from that site and streaming service into FilmStruck. It’s a huge move, one that will expand FilmStruck’s offerings to 1,800 movies per month. Even more, this won’t cost customers anything extra, as there are no current plans to increase subscription prices. All told, it’s being viewed as an investment and sound business sense, as the folks at Warner Bros. Digital Networks pondered the future of Warner Archive.
“We had a decision to make on Warner Archive. We were going to go bigger, add more films, and invest in improving the user experience,” said Craig Hunegs, president of Warner Bros. Digital Networks and president of business and strategy for Warner Bros. Television Group.. “But after sitting down and looking at it, rather than having two overlapping services going after the same audience, we decided to combine them.”
This is all terrific news for customers looking for a one-stop shop to get streaming content of obscure, hard to find, or simply beloved classic films. For those of you lamenting that FilmStruck isn’t available in your territory yet, don’t worry, there are plans to expand. The streaming service just launched in the U.K., and more international territories will follow. If you haven’t signed up for FilmStruck yet, maybe now’s the time, because it’s surely time better spent that watching whatever tossed off Netflix movie is being released this week. [Variety]