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Dendy VoD service gaining traction

Two weeks after launch, Dendy Direct is tracking above expectations in one key metric: the number of people who have registered with the film and TV VoD platform.

Icon CEO Greg Hughes isn’t volunteering any figures except to note that around 10,000 people expressed interest in registering by email before the August 6 launch.

“The number of registered users is well ahead of expectations,” he told IF. “We are happy with the encouraging responses from consumers.”

At launch more than 600 film and TV titles were available to rent or buy online and 10-20 are being added each day. As IF reported, Dendy Direct has licensing deals with 20th Century Fox, the Walt Disney Co, ABC Commercial, Beyond Home Entertainment and leading independent distributors. Deals with other US distributors are pending and Hughes said, “The door is still open for those suppliers who have yet to come in.”

The initial film line-up included The LEGO Movie, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, Pompeii, Tracks, The Railway Man, Around the Block, Wolf Creek 2, Nymphomaniac, The Raid 2 and Mr. Morgan's Last Love.

The TV slate included The Walking Dead, Peaky Blinders, The Time of Our Lives, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, Hannibal and Rectify.

Hughes said, “The strongest performing movies are the quality independent releases appealing to the core Dendy audience.”

A few technical bugs are being ironed out and the service will soon be available via AirPlay to Apple TV and other AirPlay-enabled devices.