ARCHIVES: This is legacy content from before Industry Dive acquired Mobile Commerce Daily in early 2017. Some information, such as publication dates, may not have migrated over. Check out our topic page for the latest mobile commerce news.

iHeartMedia partners with Atom Tickets to promote Free Movie Fridays

Coming on of the heels of a major partnership with Chase Pay on the payment side, Atom Tickets is now collaborating with mass media giant iHeartMedia to broadcast a massive national campaign named Free Movie Fridays.

The campaign, which kicks off today, will offer thousands of free movie tickets every Friday for an entire year across iHeartMedia’s radio stations and digital platforms in what will be a crucial component of Atom Tickets’ media strategy, seeing as iHeartMedia has at its command more than 500 radio stations in over 100 markets across the country.

“We’re very excited that with this collaboration Atom will be able to access the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet to provide listeners with movie perks they’ll enjoy,” said Matthew Bakal, co-founder of Atom Tickets. “We are also exploring several integration opportunities for the Atom platform in the next year.”

Free Movie Fridays
Atom Tickets is a largely socially driven platform that looks to augment the often-collaborative ticket process through its application’s platform. The app allows consumers to search for films instantly, invite friends, buy tickets, pre-order concessions among other things.

The free app and website provide relevant reviews, trailers and synopses to help customers make the best decision on what to see. Moviegoers may then invite friends (via Facebook or their contact lists) to purchase their own tickets to join them.

Atom offers seamless ordering of tickets and concessions from any Android or iOS phone. At the theater, users go directly to the ushers and concession counters, where they simply scan a QR code at tablet kiosks.

Atom Tickets is currently enabled on more than 15,000 screens across the U.S.

The collaboration with iHeartMedia will allow Atom to access the largest national reach of any radio or television outlet to expand its presence. The expansive campaign will feature both on-air and social promotions through iHeartMedia’s channels that will inform listeners about Free Movie Friday and the Atom Tickets platform.

Listeners will have the opportunity to win a free pair of tickets to a movie of their choice at any theater that is partnered with Atom including: Regal Cinemas, AMC Theatres, Studio Movie Grill, Kerasotes Theatres, Emagine Entertainment and ArcLight Cinemas.

iHeartMedia, formerly known as Clear Channel Communications, is the nation’s largest owner of radio stations.

Mobile movies
The aforementioned partnership with Chase Pay was a veritable boon for Atom Tickets, legitimizing both the promise of mobile ticketing for cinemas and the proliferation of mobile payment technology to different kinds of retail arenas (see story).

And AMC recently collaborated with Atom to bring the option to pre-purchase concessions and skip the line to pick it up, a feature modeled off of the mobile ordering playbooks of prominent dining chains such as Starbucks and McDonald’s. (see story).

“It’s a great opportunity for millions of iHeart listeners to get familiar with Atom Tickets and use our first-of-its-kind movie ticketing platform to go to the movies with friends and family,” Mr. Bakal said. “We’ve created a convenient way for people to plan a night out at the movies that benefits all movie goers including millennials, busy professionals, families and large groups.

“Customers can buy movie tickets, pre-order concessions, invite friends (without having to pay for them), easily discover new movies, browse trailers, read reviews, all from within the app,” he said. “There are no paper tickets and no hassling with IOUs.

“Best of all, consumers get to skip the lines at the theater. Moviegoing is a great American experience, a fun night out; so, we’re making it more convenient to encourage moviegoers to go a bit more often.”