New York City, NY

The Movie Channel

Responsibilities: Case Study, UI/UX Design, Branding & Style Guides, Product Design, Prototypes, Site Architecture
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Combining nostalgia with digital-first design trends to re-launch a brand and promote exclusive films.

 

Project Overview:  The Showtime Networks currently has multiple channels and platforms.   Under the Showtime brand, there is Showtime, Showtime On Demand, Showtime Anytime, Showtime 2, Showcase, Showtime Extreme, SHOxBET, Showtime FamilyZone, Showtime Next, Showtime Women.  In addition, the Showtime owns two additional brands: The Movie Channel and Flix. 

The Movie Channel (TMC) was launched in 1979.  Its programming features mainly first-run theatrically released and independently produced motion pictures.  

Currently, Showtime fans have a few options.  They can subscribe to Showtime and get a streaming service that currently costs $8.99 per month.   They also can view programming via the Showtime Anytime app that cable, satellite, and live TV streaming subscribers can use to stream Showtime for free at home or on the go.   The Showtime Anytime app is available at no additional cost as a part of a Showtime subscription through participating TV providers. Users can use their username and password they received from their TV provider to log in and start watching via the Showtime Anytime app or at ShowtimeAnytime.com.

Problem:  Showtime subscribers who have the Showtime Anytime app currently have access to all films currently airing on The Movie Channel.  Users can browse for any movie that airs on The Movie Channel via Showtime On Demand and watch it despite not having a subscription to the channel.  However, they cannot go to the actual channel to view it.  This makes having a subscription to The Movie Channel futile.   

Solution:  The goal of this project is to greater establish the brand to launch The Movie Channel as a more attractive premium add-on to consumers.  The new TMC (which is currently composed of four multiplex channels: TMC - East, TMC - West , TMC Xtra - East , TMC Xtra - West) will now have films that are in theaters and on demand simultaneously, plus original movies starring A-list talent, so the goal is to attract new and existing Showtime subscribers or Showtime Anytime users to upgrade their current subscription packages to view new and exciting filmmaking on The Movie Channel like never before.

Something To Consider: Showtime subscribers and Showtime Anytime app users currently have access to all films currently airing on The Movie Channel if they use Showtime On Demand. This won’t change. However, they will not have access to the exclusive movies on The Movie Channel that are currently in theaters and on demand simultaneously.

Tasks:

  1. Detail the user flow from Showtime Anytime to Provider to Subscription and back to Showtime Anytime to watch TMC Exclusive Movies.

  2. Detail the user flow from Showtime (sho.com) to The Movie Channel to streaming a film. 

  3. Develop Web Presence, Site Architecture and Branding to promote The Movie Channel from sho.com framework.  This new design should tap into current design trends along with UI components featured at sho.com to prevent scope creep for development. 

  4. Design dynamic homepage concepts that reflect featured programming but do not stray too far away from site structure.  

  5. Build a responsive site, repurpose a retro logo and build new branding that is current, strong, attractive and speaks a cinematic language that attracts and excites future subscribers.  

 

Wireframe/Brainstorming Sketches

I began sketching UI concepts on a notepad to determine overall structure and some core features of The Movie Channel’s site.

 

The Movie Channel User Flow / Showtime Ecosystem

The user’s path to view exclusive content via the The Movie Channel is detailed below. The user can visit Showtime’s website (Sho.com) to visit the The Movie Channel’s website. Users can also type www.themoviechannel.com or simply search “The Movie Channel” to reach the site www.sho.com/the-movie-channel.

From The Movie Channel’s site, users can connect to the exclusive movies. The exclusive movies are housed within the Showtime Anytime app, which features a TMC-branded user interface video player. If users do not have The Movie Channel premium upgrade, they are directed to their TV provider’s website to make this upgrade.

If user’s wish to view the exclusive movie on their television, they can simply go the exclusive movie’s page to see when it is aired live, or search for the title and the movie will play on demand if they have the upgrade.

Site Architecture

The diagram below displays the site hierarchy for The Movie Channel website, which is accessed directly from Showtime (Sho.com). Users can navigate through the site to view TMC movie schedules, original/exclusive movies, browse the TMC movie library and stream every movie from this library through Showtime Anytime.

 

From Showtime Anytime to TMC Exclusives

Users who upgrade to The Movie Channel from their standard Showtime subscription will be able to play films directly from the TMC Exclusives link and landing page.

 

Site Wireframes

The wireframes below show the basic structure of the four main pages on the site (Home, Movie Page, Schedule and About/Information Page). In order to prevent scope creep, the individual movie page is the same as the one that can be found on Sho.com since movies currently on The Movie Channel access this design template through the website and Showtime Anytime. The only difference would be in branding.

 

Conceptual Visual Design Mockups

The next step was creating a few conceptual ideas around how the site would be styled and the how the color of the core UI components would need to fit any type of assets featured on the home page. I created two homepage concepts that would accommodate darker and lighter assets.

 
 
 
 
 

Desktop and Mobile Concepts (Web Version)

Using the framework of the initial concepts, I finalized desktop and mobile versions of the site.

 

Branding

TMC’s new branding tapes into a nostalgia trend by reusing TMC's popular "eye and profile" branding used from 1988 to 1997.

 

Value Proposition and Outcome: With an enhanced and rebranded The Movie Channel featuring more attractive programming we will see the following:

  1. Consumers will get current Showtime subscribers to upgrade their current packages to the The Movie Channel which in turn increases revenue for Showtime, and TV providers (i.e. Xfinity, Comcast, DirectTV). The price of the upgrade is determined by the TV Provider and sometimes includes a package deal.

  2. Showtime will get an upgrade and new consumer interest to the Showtime Anytime App. Through the Showtime Anytime app, those who upgrade to The Movie Channel will get access to exclusive content not provided to standard Showtime subscribers. Exclusive The Movie Channel content will have a link to back to the TV provider’s site to upgrade. Seeing these exclusives presented in an attractive way will hopefully push users to purchase the add-on through their provider.

  3. Showtime and Consumers get a proper home for films that are released in theaters and on demand simultaneously. Placing films under this release strategy and primarily in Showtime’s On Demand option has those exclusive films compete against it’s current exclusive programming (i.e. TV series), thus The Movie Channel provides an additional revenue stream.

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