Cinedigm Doubles TV Channel Viewership

Cinedigm Corp. has grown the viewership on its free and ad-supported digital networks by more than 108 percent since October. The Sherman Oaks distributor of entertainment content said that its free ad-supported television and advertising video on demand networks, or AVOD, reached about 9.4 million active viewers during March. That compares to 4.5 million reported in October. With shelter-in-place restrictions due to COVID-19, the company reported its total viewing hours were up 28 percent in March compared to February. Total viewing hours were up 636 percent in March when compared to the same month a year earlier. Erick Opeka, president of Cinedigm Digital Networks, said that the company’s focus on linear and scale AVOD channel deployment continues to pay off. Even with the challenges facing the country and the advertising industry as a whole, Cinedigm’s focus on building a strong base of connected TV viewers and an emphasis on premium film and TV content has the company well positioned, Opeka said. “We are enthusiastically redoubling our efforts to serve a great experience to cord-cutting and value-seeking consumers over the next several quarters as we emerge as a leader in (streaming) channel operation and management,” he added in a statement. Shares in Cinedigm (CIDM) closed Tuesday up 8 cents, or more than 17 percent, to 53 cents on the Nasdaq.