Shazam, Now in Theaters: NCM’s FirstLook is Now Shazamable on over 20,000 Movie Screens

Shazam® and National CineMedia (NCM) today announced the full national rollout of their exclusive deal, inked in May 2014, to revolutionize the way moviegoers interact with NCM’s FirstLook movie pre-show using their mobile phones.

Starting today, elements of NCM’s FirstLook pre-show, which runs on over 20,000 movie screens in the United States, are Shazamable for millions of moviegoers looking to further explore and engage with the pre-show content before the trailers and feature film begin. To help spread the word to moviegoers that they can now Shazam during FirstLook, NCM and E!’s Maria Menounos, along with her AfterBuzz TV network, have produced a new series of spots premiering today that encourage audiences to download the Shazam app and tap to discover music, extended content and exclusive offers whenever they see Shazam on the big screen.

Maria will also introduce the chance for fans to win “Movies for Life” — now through December 4, moviegoers watching NCM’s FirstLook in theaters nationwide can Shazam the spot for a chance to win the grand prize of one movie ticket per month for 50 years, or a second prize of one of 150 pairs of movie tickets. For each sweepstakes entry, Shazam and NCM will also make a donation to the Young Storytellers Foundation, which develops literacy through the art of storytelling.

“Shazam is constantly innovating to give users an effortless connection to the world around them, wherever they are. Now when moviegoers see a spot or trivia question that captures their curiosity, they can use Shazam and dive in with the touch of a button," said Daniel Danker, Chief Product Officer, Shazam. "We're thrilled to add cinema to our growing list of audio recognition capabilities including music, television, advertising, and radio, and we look forward to introducing even more innovations to Shazam at the movies.”

Other Shazamable content in NCM’s FirstLook includes spots from AEG Live as well as a new RadioShack holiday ad featuring Weird Al Yankovic — putting the brands directly into the hands of millions of Shazam users and their mobile devices.

“Research shows that movie audiences are very interested in interacting with our FirstLook pre-show, which means that brands should be very interested in this powerful two-way cinema communications tool as well,” said Cliff Marks, president of sales and marketing, with National CineMedia (NCM). “We have several great Shazamable ad campaigns from national advertisers coming up this holiday season, and I can’t wait to work with our other ad and entertainment industry partners to create Shazamable content for our unique and highly-engaging theater environment.”

NCM and Shazam will continue to announce new promotions and content experiences as a result of the partnership in the coming months.

About Shazam

Shazam is one of the world’s most popular apps that connects people to the world around them through their mobile and Mac device. When a user Shazams a song or TV show, they are able to identify, explore, purchase and share that content. One of the world’s top apps, Shazam has been downloaded onto more than 500 million mobile devices, exceeds 100 million monthly active users, and is growing by over 13 million new users each month.

Shazam makes it easy for people to share their discoveries on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Pinterest and Google+. And to purchase through iTunes, Amazon and Google Play. For people who don't yet have the Shazam application on their smartphone, it is available for FREE on every major platform and can be found on iTunes App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, Windows App Store and other app stores.

For further information about Shazam Entertainment visit www.shazam.com and @Shazam. You can also follow us on Facebook or Google+. For daily music updates follow the Shazam Blog. Shazam Media enquiries: PR@shazamteam.com.

About National CineMedia (NCM)

National CineMedia operates NCM Media Networks, the #1 weekend network in America and the largest cinema advertising network reaching moviegoers on-screen, on-site, online and on mobile devices. NCM offers captivating entertainment content, national reach and unparalleled audience engagement across its digital in-theater network of over 20,000 screens in over 1,500 theaters in 183 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50). During 2013, over 710 million moviegoers attended theaters that exclusively present NCM’s FirstLook pre-show program, including AMC Entertainment Inc. (NYSE:AMC), Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC), and 40 other leading regional theater circuit affiliates. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ:NCMI) owns a 45.8% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com. (NCMI-A)