What Is Fandango? Pricing & How It Works

Insights

Disclaimer: MNTN is a performance-focused Connected TV advertising platform. This article is for informational purposes only. To sign up for or learn more about Fandango, please visit their official website.

TL;DR

5 Quick Takeaways

What consumers and marketers need to know about Fandango.

1. 1

   Fandango unifies free streaming, ticketing, rentals, and purchases.

2. 2

   Its subscription-free model combines ad-supported viewing with premium options.

3. 3

   A vast catalog and broad device support drive accessibility.

4. 4

   Rapid audience and viewing growth strengthen its advertising value.

5. 5

   The platform reflects CTV’s shift toward measurable performance marketing.

In the evolving landscape of Connected TV (CTV), platforms like Fandango are reshaping how audiences access premium entertainment by bringing free ad-supported streaming, movie ticketing, and on-demand rentals and purchases into a single ecosystem. With at least one internet-connected TV device in 88% of U.S. TV households, that ecosystem gives marketers another way to reach viewers through a screen already central to their viewing habits.

But with so many free ad-supported streaming options, what makes Fandango stand out? Where does it fit within the broader streaming economy, what does it offer, and how much does it cost? Let’s dive in.

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What Is Fandango?

Fandango is a digital entertainment and media company best known for its online movie ticketing service. However, the focus of this article is almost exclusively on the free streaming service formerly known as ‘Vudu’ and ‘Fandango at Home,’ now recently consolidated under the primary brand name, Fandango.

What Is Fandango’s Streaming Service?

Fandango’s streaming service is a digital video-on-demand platform that lets viewers rent, buy, or stream movies and TV shows without a monthly subscription. It offers more than 300,000 new-release and catalog movies and TV shows, making it a broad entertainment destination and a valuable ad-supported environment for brands looking to reach streaming viewers.

How Vudu Became Fandango

The streaming service evolved from an early digital video platform into Fandango’s unified destination.

1. 2004: Vudu Is Founded

   Vudu begins developing an internet-connected video service designed to bring on-demand movie rentals and purchases into the home.

   1
   Vudu Begins

2. 2010: Walmart Acquires Vudu

   Walmart brings Vudu into its entertainment business as digital rentals and purchases expand across internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.

   2
   Retail Scale Added

3. 2020: Fandango Acquires Vudu

   Fandango agrees to buy Vudu from Walmart in April and completes the acquisition in July, adding digital rentals and purchases to its moviegoing ecosystem.

   3
   Fandango Takes Over

4. 2021: Vudu and FandangoNOW Unite

   Fandango combines the two services under the Vudu name, creating one platform with more than 200,000 movies and TV shows.

   4
   Services Combined

5. 2024: Vudu Becomes Fandango at Home

   The new name brings streaming closer to the Fandango brand. Existing libraries, collections, usernames, and passwords stay in place.

   5
   Brand Alignment

6. 2026: Streaming Unifies Under Fandango

   Fandango drops “at Home” and brings free streaming, movie ticketing, and premium rentals and purchases together under one consumer brand.

   6
   One Fandango Brand

How Does Fandango Work?

Viewers can browse Fandango’s catalog on the website or app by genre, popularity, or new releases. Free titles can be streamed without creating an account or logging in, while rentals and purchases require an account. Once selected, content can be rented for temporary access, purchased for repeated access under Fandango’s licensing terms, or watched for free with ads, streaming directly to a compatible device.

This model emphasizes flexibility, the term that best defines modern viewing habits.

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Key Fandango Features

Fandango offers a few key features that make it a go-to platform for consumers.

1. High-Quality Streaming

Fandango supports HDX and UHD playback, with select 4K UHD titles offering Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos on compatible devices. In plain English: it’s built for the living room screen, not just quick mobile viewing.

2. Personalized Recommendations

Fandango can customize the user experience based on viewing, purchasing, and browsing history, helping viewers find titles that match what they already like. The platform also displays Rotten Tomatoes scores and reviews, adding a little more context to content discovery.

3. Free, Ad-Supported Tier

Fandango offers viewers access to thousands of free movies and TV shows without a subscription or account, with ads. That free tier makes the platform useful for cost-conscious viewers and gives advertisers another way to reach audiences.

But free content in exchange for ads isn’t just a Fandango phenomenon. This is the preferred way people select their streaming services, and the data backs it up. In Q1 2025, ad-supported platforms (including linear TV and streaming) accounted for 72.4% of total-day TV viewing.

Fandango’s Free Streaming Service, by the Numbers

These headline figures show the current scale of Fandango’s free streaming offering and the momentum behind it.

• 20,000+

  Free Movies

  Rotten Tomatoes says Fandango now offers more than 20,000 movies to watch free with ads.

• 30,000+

  Free Movies and TV Shows

  Fandango leadership describes the broader free on-demand library as upward of 30,000 titles.

• 300%+

  AVOD Monthly Active User Growth

  The free audience is at least four times the prior-year baseline.

• 200%+

  Viewing-Hours Growth

  Viewing hours are up more than 200% year over year, signaling much deeper engagement.

How Much Does Fandango Cost?

There are a few ways to use Fandango’s streaming service, each with different costs.

Is Fandango Free?

Fandango’s streaming service does not require a monthly subscription, and users can create an account for free. The platform offers thousands of free, ad-supported titles, while rentals and purchases remain optional for viewers who want access to specific movies or shows.

Rental Prices

For premium options, movie rentals generally range from $0.99 to $5.99, depending on the title, picture quality, and any current promotion. Rentals give viewers temporary access, so the exact viewing window should be confirmed at checkout.

Purchase Prices

Movie purchases generally range from $4.99 to $24.99, while TV episodes typically range from $1.99 to $2.99 and full seasons from $16.99 to $43.99. Purchased titles can be streamed through a Fandango account, though access remains subject to platform terms and applicable content rights.

Disc-to-Digital and Other Costs

Fandango also offers Disc to Digital, which lets eligible DVD and Blu-ray owners convert physical discs into digital copies. DVD conversions cost $2 for Standard Definition or $5 to upgrade to HDX when available, while Blu-ray-to-HDX conversions cost $2; users can convert up to 100 eligible titles per calendar year.

Types of Content Available on Fandango

Fandango offers multiple ways to discover movies and TV while creating contextually relevant environments for advertisers.

• Movies

  Movies

  Browse new releases, classics, and genre favorites across Fandango’s catalog of more than 300,000 movies and TV shows.

  Available As

  Rentals, purchases, and select free ad-supported titles.

• TV

  TV Shows

  Watch individual episodes, full seasons, and participating next-day television from a range of networks and studios.

  Available As

  Episode purchases, season purchases, and select free programming.

• Free

  Free Ad-Supported Content

  Stream more than 20,000 free movies, plus additional TV and on-demand programming, without a monthly subscription.

  What to Know

  Eligible free titles are supported by advertising and can now be watched without signing in.

• 4K

  4K UHD Titles

  Select rentals and purchases are available in 4K UHD, with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support where the title and device allow it.

  Best For

  Premium home-viewing experiences on compatible TVs, streaming devices, and sound systems.

• Genres

  Genre-Specific Collections

  Explore curated collections spanning action, comedy, drama, animation, classics, family entertainment, and more.

  Why It Matters

  Organized hubs make niche discovery easier and help viewers move quickly from interest to playback.

How to Sign Up for Fandango

Creating a free Fandango account takes just a few steps:

• Visit the Website or Download the App: Go to Fandango.com or open the Fandango app on a supported mobile, streaming, or smart TV device.
• Create or Sign In to an Account: Select Create New Account or Sign In. New users will enter their name, email address, and a password. Existing Fandango users can sign in with their current credentials.
• Complete the Account Setup: Follow any on-screen or emailed instructions needed to finish registration. When signing up through a connected TV, Fandango may ask you to scan a QR code, enter an activation code, or complete setup online.
• Add Payment Info (Optional): Add a supported payment method when you are ready to rent or buy a title. Payment information is not required to watch eligible free content.
• Browse and Stream: Explore free movies and TV shows right away, or sign in to rent or buy, and manage purchases.

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How Does Fandango Advertising Work?

Fandango’s free streaming service uses an advertising-supported video-on-demand model, or AVOD. Viewers can watch eligible movies and TV programming without a subscription, with free access funded by advertising.

Fandango may use information such as viewing activity, browsing behavior, purchases, and demographic data to build audience segments and deliver more relevant advertising across supported devices. For marketers, that creates an opportunity to reach viewers inside premium entertainment environments while they are actively engaged with streaming content.

Why You Need Performance TV

Fandango’s free, ad-supported streaming service reflects a bigger shift in television: audiences are spending more time watching premium content across connected screens. For marketers, the opportunity is not simply to appear alongside that content. It’s about reaching the right viewers and connecting TV exposure to measurable business outcomes.

MNTN Performance TV turns premium CTV into a targetable, measurable performance channel with audience targeting, automated optimization, real-time reporting, and attribution built for television. Put Connected TV to work alongside your other performance channels—sign up today with MNTN’s self-serve software.

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Fandango: Final Thoughts

As CTV takes on a larger role in digital advertising, Fandango shows how a hybrid model pairing free, ad-supported viewing with rentals and purchases can serve both audiences and advertisers. Its broad entertainment catalog and connected ecosystem give brands another way to reach viewers around the movies and shows they care about.