MUMBAI: Turner Classic Movies (TCM), which is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, has launched a first-of-its-kind social network that links fans online. The site, called the TCM Classic Film Union, can be found at tcm.com/fan.
"TCM fans are devoted to the world of classic film, and they want to connect with others who share their passion. TCM has long been a forum for these fans, but this new fan community takes it to the next level," said TCM, TBS and TNT senior vice president of brand development and digital platforms Molly Battin.
The TCM Classic Film Union is an easy way for fans to set up personalized profiles and link to friends. The film union features in-depth ways to express movie and film preferences.
TCM also has taken the concept of a social network in a completely new direction. The TCM Classic Film Union allows users to connect to their favorite movies and stars, all in vast, media-rich, classic film universe set up by TCM. Using the networks’ database, TCM has added more than a million people (including actors, directors, producers and more), plus hundreds of thousands of films. The TCM Classic Film Union allows anyone to immediately add these links to their personal network and begin sharing ideas and media with others. For a serious movie fan, there is no bigger repository of materials about films and filmmaking.
While the TCM Classic Film Union is in its beginning stages, early adopters have already built extensive profiles. Some users have posted rare photos and video clips. Others have created blogs or developed groups to discuss celebrities, genres and favorite classic film subjects.
Unlike other social networking sites, the TCM Classic Film Union is targeted at movie lovers. "The great thing about this new community is that it lets fans get together in ways that have never been possible before. We’re amazed at the excitement we’ve already seen, even though the film union is just getting started. The ability to find stars and movies from such a deep library is clearly a huge draw for fans. And they are creating connections and finding new friends," said TCM vice president of digital platforms Richard Steiner.
