Versant execs outline plans for upcoming Fandango AVoD platform

Executives at Versant, the US media company spun off from Comcast at the start of the year, have outlined plans for the AVoD service it will launch within its movie-ticket-buying platform Fandango.

Mark Lazarus

The new streamer, officially announced in December, will bring AVoD and free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) programming into the existing Fandango app, which is geared towards enabling consumers to buy movie tickets, as well as digital rental of films and TV shows.

Versant, which officially became a separate publicly traded company in early January, consists of seven cablenets – CNBC, MS NOW (fka MSNBC), USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E! and Syfy – as well as digital media companies Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow, GolfPass and SportsEngine,

During the company’s first quarterly earnings call since the spin-off, Versant CEO Mark Lazarus said on Tuesday some content licensed for its linear networks will appear on the Fandango AVoD platform.

He added that Fandango’s new content offering would be a mixture of content licensed from Comcast-owned Universal, with which it has an ongoing relationship, and content licensed via third-party deals. The service is expected to launch in the US in the second half of the year.

The majority of the content will be non-exclusive, as is the case with much of the programming found on FAST and AVoD, though some will be exclusive to Versant-owned networks and platforms.

Lazarus expressed high hopes for the Fandango AVoD platform, given it is a widely known ticket-purchasing service already used by millions.

“Fandango is a big, broad brand. It’s already on people’s phones and connected TVs because of buying movie tickets and also it’s a top-five home video service for buying and renting movies and TV series,” he said.

“It’s now a matter of converting and showing them that we have a strong, free AVoD service,” he said, adding that the “combination of our brand, content and our large install base will help us grow quickly.”

In fiscal 2025, Versant reported revenue of US$6.69bn, down 5.3% from US$7.06bn the prior year, while adjusted earnings fell 14.5% to US$2.43bn.

“Versant enters this next chapter as an independent, well-positioned media and entertainment company with strong momentum and clear strategic focus,” said Lazarus in a statement announcing the earnings results.

“In 2025, we strengthened our leadership in premium programming, expanded our audience, grew our platforms businesses, and successfully established ourselves as a standalone company. I couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead as we invest in our iconic brands to evolve our business model. We aim to do so with a focus on delivering strong shareholder returns, both in the near and long term.”