Plex, meanwhile, aims to be “the place where people can discover what to watch, regardless of where that content is located,” Scott Olechowski, Plex co-founder and chief product officer, said in a statement.
Content discovery is an oft-cited challenge in the streaming industry, with several players, including smart TV operating system operators, streaming service providers and generative AI chatbots, trying to solve it. If Plex could use its users’ data to generate valuable recommendations, monetizing its content discovery could prove lucrative.
“For studios and advertisers, we’re also creating a more measurable path from discovery to purchase, helping marketers understand which campaigns are driving conversions,” Olechowski said.
Plex’s Fandango partnership contrasts with its media server business, which allows users to share movies they own with friends and family without paying Hollywood licensing fees.
The foray into movie ticket sales comes more than two and a half years after Plex launched its streaming service, where people can rent movies. Plex also launched a free advertising-supported streaming TV service (FAST) and added social media capabilities to its platform.
These companies provide Plex with additional revenue streams beyond its media server software. As it stands, the companies coexist peacefully: someone who just wants to use Plex for media hosting doesn’t have to use Plex’s on-demand streaming services. They can also opt out of sharing some Plex data. (Notably, Plex says it collects data from media server users who “search Plex.”)
When it comes to media hosting, Plex has looked at the challenges of making lifetime passes financially sustainable. Your new businesses can help fund advancements and/or maintenance of Plex multimedia software. At the same time, the company appears to be largely focused on developing the non-server software aspects of its business.
