Empire, Filmnight Digital launch mobile film content services club

EMAP Performance is launching a mobile content service for its film magazine Empire in a tie-up with Filmnight Digital.

The service, to be called the Empire Filmnight Club, will take the Empire brand on to mobile for the first time, and is the latest move by EMAP to ramp up its digital branding activity.

The deal means consumers will be able to download movie clips, ringtones and games via their mobile phones. They will also be able to post personal film reviews and buy DVDs. In addition, consumers will be able to access the Empire Filmnight Club through movie channels on Vodafone, O2’s i-Mode and T-Mobile, as Filmnight is the exclusive provider of film content to these operators.

The Empire Filmnight Club will offer a film retail service with a loyalty scheme as well as other benefits. A spokeswoman says: “This is very much a first step in an all-encompassing digital deal for EMAP and Filmnight.”

Empire Filmnight Club will be marketed across all Empire and Filmnight Digital channels including print, online and selected Filmnight.com stores, which will exclusively stock Empire magazine. Filmnight Digital, which will also power a newly launched Empire Film Store, offers DVDs for rental and purchase both online and on the high street.

Separately, as part of its digital push, EMAP Performance is to be relaunched in an effort to build on its consumer-facing digital businesses. There will be a focus on major digital initiatives and the division plans to make senior appointments in the marketing and advertising sales departments in the coming months.

EMAP Consumer Media chief executive Paul Keenan says/ “EMAP is building a high-growth business on emerging digital media platforms. To accelerate this growth, we are investing in the team at EMAP Performance which has a great future given our unrivalled content, reach, relationship and brands.”