Targeting a base of super fans, Turner Classic Movies has launched TCM Backlot, a fan club that offers members exclusive content, the ability to become a “guest programmer,” win on-set tours and other perks and benefits.

An annual charter membership for TCM Backlot costs $87. TCM said it launched the initiative as a kick-off to its 7th annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood.

Fullcube, a startup that’s developed technology that helps partners integrate and automate subscription-based OTT and digital offerings and recently landed a $1.15 million seed round, built, launched and is now hosting TCM’s new fan club initiative.

Among other features, TCM Backlot offers never-before-seen talent interviews, archival videos from the TCM vault, an exclusive TCM podcast, and ways for members to attend meet and greets with TCM hosts.

"Creating a fan club allows us to super-serve and further engage with our most passionate and devoted fans," Jennifer Dorian, general manager of TCM, said in a statement. "We are always looking for exciting and immersive brand extension opportunities and TCM Backlot offers just that - allowing fans the ability to go behind-the-scenes and dive deeper into the world of TCM, providing a consistently updated fan experience filled with entertaining content and engaging opportunities.”

“The creation of TCM Backlot shines a spotlight on the tremendous opportunities for media companies, like TCM, to transform their relationship with consumers,” added David Hickson, co-founder and CEO of fullcube.

Yesterday, Turner announced the expected fall 2016 launch of FilmStruck an SVOD service for film buffs. TCM will manage it in partnership with the Criterion Collection.

Watch a video promo about TCM Backlot:

The vast majority of consumers (90%) are interested in upgrading from a basic subscription to one that includes valuable privileges, including discounts, exclusives and access to events or activities that involve other subscribers, subscription billing specialist Vindicia found in a new study, Consumer Demand for Value-added Subscription Services.

The survey, based on data from 1,000 U.S. adults who have at least one paid subscription, also found that 76% of the group would be willing to pay $3.99 more per month for a subscription that gives them access to premium content or other members-only benefits. That rises to 84% if  that price is set at an extra $1.99 per month.

Among consumers surveyed who have multiple subscriptions, those that that deliver over-the-top video/video-on-demand services were the most important to them (40%), followed by shopping (32%), then audio (9%) (see chart).

OTT/VOD was also the most frequently used subscription service (42%), followed by shopping (28%), audio (13%), and print media (5%).

Broken down further, 45% said OTT services such as HBO Now, Netflix and Hulu were the most important to them, while 30% cited shopping services such as Amazon Prime and Google Express, and just 8% identified audio services such as Apple Music, Pandora, Spotify and Audible.

Regarding engagement, Vindicia found that 30% of consumers used their most-utilized subscription service at least 20 hours per week, while 28% used them between 11 hours to 20 hours per week, and 42% used them between 1 hour to 10 hours per week.

Vindicia’s study also shed some light on why some consumers opt to cancel their subscriptions. Of those who recently canceled, 39% said it was because they didn’t see the value in the subscription, 36% said they no longer wanted the financial obligation, 34% said the subscription was no longer relevant to them, and 13% cited billing issues, such as difficulties updating credit card info or confirming payment details. 

Consumers are pushing subscription services in new directions to get what they want on their own terms. Our latest study, “Super Subscribers: Disrupting the Subscription Services Model,” explored how consumers choose and use subscription services, including Internet, mobile phone, streaming entertainment and cable TV plans. We found that not only are their service preferences changing, but so too are the incentives that motivate them.

“Super Subscribers,” as we have identified them, are savvy shoppers of subscription services. They once accounted for a small portion of all shoppers, but today they account for most of them.

Super Subscribers are also consumers who are migrating their entertainment content delivery and traditional shopping — through expanded broadband and wireless data pipes — to get the specific content and service they desire, for a better-value price and convenient schedule.

That’s why broadband Internet services and smartphone data plans have the largest subscription bases. Cable TV subscriptions, while still very popular, are seeing a macro trend we identified as “cord-shortening.” The majority are keeping their cable, but downgrading to basic from premium, and supplementing with streaming services. At this moment, subscribers of premium and basic cable packages are roughly the same size; however, basic plans are approaching the inflection point of eclipsing premium bundles.

Streaming content is 50% bigger than basic or premium cable individually. More people are starting to “cut the cable cord” as they migrate to streaming and on-demand entertainment options, but cable shortening is more prevalent than cord-cutting at this point in time. That’s why HBO Now is at a must-launch stage for HBO. Netflix has already surpassed HBO’s subscriber base, and with a shrinking group of premium subscribers and growing streaming subscribers who outnumber premiums by almost 50%, HBO really has no choice.

We found that for entertainment content, be it movies, television or music, the best incentives that attract the most customers are post-purchase rewards offering open loop prepaid cards that can be spent anywhere. When these rewards are branded with the issuer’s logo and have an accompanying offer, they can extend initial subscription periods, and also work effectively to drive cross-sell services.

Post-purchase rewards that offer consumers 20–50% more value — but at the same cost to the issuer which is significantly less than an “instant discount” — are now a very popular acquisition incentive in many key subscription categories.

Our “Super Subscribers: Disrupting the Subscription Services Model” study identifies which consumer groups (including views by income, age and ethnicity) are using disruptive subscriptions the most and how to acquire these customers. The research, conducted online in March, questioned 1,757 U.S. consumers representative of the country’s demographics.

Rodney Mason is group vice president, marketing, at Blackhawk Engagement Solutions.