Cinedigm's family-friendly streaming service The Dove Channel has revealed that it has continued to grow at a record-breaking pace for the company, surpassing an estimated 663,000 paid subscribers in February 2022, up over 1,133% year-on-year.
Launched in 2015 as a response to high consumer demand for audience-appropriate titles, The Dove Channel offers viewers what is described as safe programming options and full access to a library of high-quality, family-safe films, children's programmes, documentaries, and television series. Recent titles include Forever Strong starring Sean Faris, The Ultimate Gift featuring Abigail Breslin and Catching Faith with Bill Engvall. The channel capped off a strong year of programming in 2021 with a slate that included holiday films like An Accidental Christmas and A Christmas Tree Miracle.
Cinedigm said growth has been driven by strong demand for the service on distributed and wholesale platforms, including Amazon Prime Channels, The Roku Channel, Comcast Xfinity, Dish Network and YouTube TV. In addition, Cinedigm's free on-demand and linear versions of The Dove Channel show strong uptake with consumers who prefer a free, ad-supported option, with total monthly viewers growing to 5.4 million in February 2022, up 47% year over year. Ad-based viewership continues to accelerate, with monthly minutes streamed in FY Q4 22 increasing by 32% over the previoius sequential quarter.
"Given the challenges of these trying times over the last few years, the appetite for uplifting, wholesome movies and shows that families can watch together has dramatically expanded," commented Erick Opeka Cinedigm chief strategy officer, and president of Cinedigm Networks. "The Dove Channel has rapidly risen to become our most successful subscription service and is among the top three of all ad-supported services in our portfolio. The enthusiastic responses from platforms, advertisers, and consumers reiterates the important position our service fills in America's households."
With Dove's rising stature in Cinedigm's portfolio, the company plans on ramping up investment in exclusive programming and new television series. In addition, the channel will be at the forefront of key initiatives to develop a direct ad sales channel and launch new fiction and non-fiction podcasts with the same family-friendly perspective. Cinedigm will also use the 7,500-title library of streaming company Digital Media Rights, recently acquired by Cinedigm, as a source of substantial additional kids and family programming. Finally, the channel will also re-launch on Cinedigm's new Matchpoint 2.0 app framework later this year and will also expand platform support across key leading platforms including Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
Cinedigm said growth has been driven by strong demand for the service on distributed and wholesale platforms, including Amazon Prime Channels, The Roku Channel, Comcast Xfinity, Dish Network and YouTube TV. In addition, Cinedigm's free on-demand and linear versions of The Dove Channel show strong uptake with consumers who prefer a free, ad-supported option, with total monthly viewers growing to 5.4 million in February 2022, up 47% year over year. Ad-based viewership continues to accelerate, with monthly minutes streamed in FY Q4 22 increasing by 32% over the previoius sequential quarter.
"Given the challenges of these trying times over the last few years, the appetite for uplifting, wholesome movies and shows that families can watch together has dramatically expanded," commented Erick Opeka Cinedigm chief strategy officer, and president of Cinedigm Networks. "The Dove Channel has rapidly risen to become our most successful subscription service and is among the top three of all ad-supported services in our portfolio. The enthusiastic responses from platforms, advertisers, and consumers reiterates the important position our service fills in America's households."
With Dove's rising stature in Cinedigm's portfolio, the company plans on ramping up investment in exclusive programming and new television series. In addition, the channel will be at the forefront of key initiatives to develop a direct ad sales channel and launch new fiction and non-fiction podcasts with the same family-friendly perspective. Cinedigm will also use the 7,500-title library of streaming company Digital Media Rights, recently acquired by Cinedigm, as a source of substantial additional kids and family programming. Finally, the channel will also re-launch on Cinedigm's new Matchpoint 2.0 app framework later this year and will also expand platform support across key leading platforms including Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
