Broadcasting and cable company Comcast and entertainment corporation Lionsgate initiated a partnership to build mobile applications for Lionsgate films, offering bonus clips and features for Comcast customers purchasing movies through Xfinity On Demand.

For starters, the team created an app for Lionsgate?s Divergent in an effort to combat a decrease in DVD sales. The collaboration shows an attempt to provide a one-of-a-kind experience for fans of the Divergent franchise and future Lionsgate films to come.

?We have been working with Lionsgate and all of our studio partners to launch a product that allows producers, directors, writers, designers and engineers to explore and create next generation digital experiences that expand and extend the life of digital franchises across platforms for Xfinity customers,? said Matt Strauss, general manager and senior vice president of video services at Comcast, Philadelphia.

Fans want more
The Divergent app includes scenes from multiple angles, footage from the movie?s red carpet premiere and an interactive look into the film?s fashion.

The iOS app is accessible on smartphones in addition to Comcast?s X1 set-top box in the near future. The app will be updated throughout the showing of the Divergent franchise, which includes four films.

The partnership has the potential to reel in a number of subscribers given its offer of never-before-seen footage. Fans of these franchise films always want more in addition to viewing the film, and interactive engagement will likely resonate with the target audience given the action-packed aspects of the film.

?Lionsgate and Comcast are committed to expanding the world of the mobile consumer to include richer and more immersive experiences based on our franchises and other content, and we expect our collaboration to continue to grow in the future,? said Thomas Hughes, executive vice president of worldwide digital distribution at Lionsgate, Los Angeles. 

Extending its reach
Lionsgate is also teaming up with South Korean conglomerate Samsung giving fans an exclusive inside peek at the Hunger Games: Mockingjay ? Part 1 trailer at Comic-Con this week while promoting ticket sales for the film?s debut.   

Only Samsung Galaxy Tab S users have access to the opportunity occurring at annual comic event Comic-Con, but the opportunity will expand July 26-27 to participating Best Buy locations with Samsung Experience Shops outside San Diego. Fans who visit the Samsung Experience Shops will receive a complimentary ticket to the movie premiere, providing an enticement worthy enough to pursue and direct foot traffic for Best Buy and Samsung (see story).

In March, Lionsgate ran a campaign to target mall shoppers via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi with an initiative around the Divergent film.

The mobile content included a trailer for Divergent as well as a calendar function that allowed consumers to opt-in to be reminded to purchase tickets on the opening day of the film. The campaign was a reflection of the significant role that location plays for Lionsgate in promoting new films (see story).

Lionsgate?s partnership with Comcast will likely aid to further promoting its films such as Divergent and will also aid the broadcast/cable company in On Demand purchases.

?We are providing studios with a platform to enhance the digital ownership experience by continually adding new content and experiences for customers that will immerse them in the worlds of these films like never before, first on their favorite mobile devices, and soon on the TV via X1,? Mr. Strauss said.

Final Take
Caitlyn Bohannon, editorial assistant for Mobile Marketer, New York