M-Go, Roku's embedded streaming movie service, has been re-branded as FandangoNOW. Fandango, a movie ticketing service owned by NBCUniversal, acquired M-Go from Dreamworks Animation and Technicolor in January of this year.
Variety reports that Fandango plans to use FandangoNOW as a way to boost revenue by combining video-on-demand with sales of tickets for in-theater movies. One of the new offerings will reportedly be the sale of "super tickets" that would bundle theater tickets with digital home-entertainment content, collectible memorabilia, and other bonuses. Fandango also recently agreed to acquire Flixster and Rotten Tomatoes from Warner Bros. Entertainment, adding to it's content for movie watchers.
Roku users will notice that their home screen options for Movie Store and TV Store will say "by Fandango." FandangoNOW will continue offering the same movies and TV shows that you've been seeing on M-Go, with over 30,000 titles available. According to Roku, Inc. you will not need to make any changes to your Roku device, and you will not need to create a new account. Your M-Go account will be automatically transitioned to FandangoNOW. Any movies and TV shows you've rented or purchased, along with any M-Go credits you may have, will roll over to your FandangoNOW account.
What if your Roku remote is one with an M-Go button? Unlike the dead Rdio button on many remotes, M-Go will continue to work - it will launch FandangoNOW.
If you're not already a FandangoNOW user, you create a free account here.
For more information Roku has provided some Q&As about M-Go rebranding as FandangoNOW.
Editor's note: This article has been updated from the original version to reflect the fact that rebranding has now been implemented.
