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Fandor Wants to Be Netflix for the Indie Film Crowd

by Terrence O'Brien on March 9, 2011 at 03:20 PM

'Winnebago Man' on Fandor
Netflix has a reasonable selection of independent films, but it only represents just a tiny fraction of the indie movies that get made every year. Many more may draw critical acclaim or wow audiences at festivals, but there are only so many distribution deals to be signed. A site called Fandor is interested in those movies that don't get picked up by studios or shown in theaters around the country, yet still draw praise on the festival circuit. The site's creators are offering streaming indie flicks for $10 a month and are relying on deep integration with Facebook to help spread the word about these movies that might otherwise fly under the radar.

Users can share links to films on Facebook or even pick clips to post. If a friend clicks on the link, they'll be offered the ability to watch that movie for free if they sign up with their Facebook account. In addition to one free film, Fandor is also offering a free 30-day trial to lure in new customers. Revenue is split down the middle, with half going to Fandor and the other half being put in a pot for the filmmakers. Cash is then doled out to the films based on the number of viewers, as well as for how long and how many times its clips were shared on Facebook.

The site's COO, Montgomery Kosma, wants to be clear: Fandor is not a replacement for Netflix. Instead, he sees it as a supplement, narrowly focused on high-quality films in danger of falling through the cracks. Fandor will work in any modern browser on OS X, Windows or Linux, and is available as an app for Boxee.

Tags: fandor, independent, movies, netflix, streaming, streaming video, StreamingVideo, top, web

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