Rotten Tomatoes, which has long graded and recommended things to watch with its Tomatometer, is launching its own linear streaming channel.
Seeds for The Rotten Tomatoes Channel have been planted with social video, streaming trailers and by putting its experts on Red Carpet coverage and other programming on TV outlets including E! Entertainment, which like Rotten Tomatoes, is controlled by NBCUniversal, Sandro Corsaro, senior VP and chief creative officer of Rotten Tomatoes told Broadcasting & Cable.
With a channel of its own, Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t see itself competing with E! for viewers, Corsaro said. “E! does what E! does very well, fashion and red carpets and pop culture. Rotten Tomatoes, although it’s an entertainment brand, serve a very different purpose,” he said. “I think they fit together nicely, but I don’t see us crashing into each other.”
The Rotten Tomatoes Channel will help viewers at a time when the entertainment buffet is endless. “Now more than ever, people are turning to Rotten Tomatoes.”
“Rotten Tomatoes serves a core purpose, which is utility , but it can punch well past that weight,” he said. “We have aspirations to be more than just a niche brand. We thought about television, we thought about mobile, we thought about all the different surfaces we think Rotten Tomatoes can live on, beyond the computer monitor.”
The channel launches today on The Roku Channel. Rotten Tomatoes is part of NBCU’s Fandango business unit and Fandango has long been on Roku as its main store for electronic content sales.
The Rotten Tomatoes Channel will send viewers to Vudu, another Fandango uint, where the vast majority of the things on the channel are available to buy or rent, Corsarosaid..
After launching on Roku, the Rotten Tomatoes Channel, it will launch on Xumo TV, another Fandango unit and Peacock, NBCU’s streaming platform.
Commercials will be sold by NBCU as part of its One Digital Video offering.
Rotten Tomatoes Channel will launch with 10 original shows.including:
Countdown: A countdown to the best movies, shows, scenes, and more – according to the Tomatometer and top entertainment experts.
The Vault: A nostalgic look back at the best star interviews, red carpet chats, fun games, and more from the Rotten Tomatoes archives.
Trailers Reloaded: An opportunity to relive the hype around the biggest movies and shows ever with an extensive collection of trailers.
Becoming: In which Hollywood’s biggest names break down their biggest transformations from some of their most iconic roles.
Rotten Tomatoes Essentials: A fun and informative look back at the movies, shows, stars and directors that defined genres and eras.
Versus: Using Tomatometer scores, box office data, and more, host and stand-up comic Mark Ellis settles the biggest movie and TV debates of all time.
Oral History: Get the full stories behind the world’s most cherished films, shows, and franchises, from the people who made them great.
Aftershow: Movie lovers, critics, and industry experts debate some of the biggest movies of recent times.
Name the Review: Big laughs ensue when stars like The Rock and Kevin Hart are faced with some of their weirdest and harshest reviews.
Five Favorite Films: Filmmakers and stars share their all-time favorite movies – and why they mean so much to them.
