• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer @eriksass1, April 27, 2012

Moviegoers will be getting a new pre-show content experience, thanks to a partnership between Screenvision and Reelzchannel: “TV About Movies,” the companies announced this week. The deal will incorporate Reelz original programming into the Screenvision pre-show package of branded entertainment and advertising at theaters nationwide.

The “family-friendly” Reelz content includes behind-the-scenes footage, celebrity interviews and features from movies in theaters. That “family-friendly” proviso is important, as Reelz.com, Reelzchannel’s parent entity, can be mildly naughty, in a fun-loving way of course (one feature currently available on the Web site, Grrlz Channel, provides a helpful history of full-frontal male nudity in films).

Currently the Reelzchannel reaches over 62 million homes around the U.S. via cable and satellite. For its part, Screenvision’s advertising network includes more than 14,300 screens in over 2,350 theater locations across the country.

Earlier this month Screenvision announced the launch of The Limelight, a new pre-show package of advertising and entertainment whose “two-screen” configuration combines mobile interactivity with the impact of ads seen in movie theaters. Moviegoers can participate in the 20-minute pre-show package by downloading the “screenfanz” mobile app, which is currently available from the iTunes store and will become available for Android shortly. The app offers movie information, location-based check-ins for theaters, review sharing on Facebook, trivia contests, and sweepstakes; these features are coordinated with ads and entertainment content shown on the big screen, allowing advertisers to leverage social media as well as measure the impact of their cinema ads more effectively.

Screenvision has already produced a “pilot” showcasing The Limelight’s new pre-show format, with participation by advertisers including FedEx, Nestle Purina PetCare Company, and Allstate, among others. Other ad partners include Ad Council and DoSomething.org, which are both premiering new ads in Limelight.