For the entire month of February our customers have been getting ready for the Oscars with our annual Oscar Films & More Collection On Demand. This collection features past Oscar-winning films along with many of this year's Academy Award-nominated films such as "Inception," "The Social Network" and "The Kids Are All Right."
Of the Oscar-nominated films available On Demand, six films saw a significant spike in views post-nomination. "Winter's Bone," nominated for Best Picture, had an increase in views On Demand of more than 250% during the first two weeks of February. "Dogtooth," nominated for Best Foreign Film, and "Exit Through The Gift Shop," nominated for Best Documentary, also saw sizable increases in views. "The Social Network" started on 2/2 and was the top performing new release movie On Demand.
This is not the first time we've seen spikes in movie views On Demand for lesser known films. Often we see an increase in a movie's performance when it is part of a larger movie collection On Demand. The same holds true for many independent films when they are offered as part of our Indie Film Club selections.
With 350 million views a month, whether it's a blockbuster hit or a smaller indie film, our On Demand service allows filmmakers to reach nearly 20 million homes across the country that they may not have otherwise.
These increases in movie views illustrate that our On Demand service is a win-win for both filmmakers and our customers. In 2011, we will continue to bring our customers even more of the content and movies they want across multiple platforms.