# AlloCiné

AlloCiné is an entertainment website founded by Jean-David Blanc in 1988, then joined by Patrick Holzman. It has belonged to the company since 2013 Webedia. which specializes in providing information on French cinema, mostly centering on novelties' promotion with DVD, Blu-ray, and VOD information. In 2005, it began covering television series. The website is considered the "French equivalent of IMDb."
Initially, Allociné was a telephone information service providing cinema program details. It later transitioned into an Internet portal, offering extensive information on all movies distributed in France. The service was known for its easy-to-remember number (40 30 20 10, later 01 40 30 20 10) and lack of additional call charges, distinguishing it from competitors. The voice of Allociné, performed by Patrice Baudrier, became popular and was notably parodied by Gad Elmaleh. The company diversified its offerings to establish itself as a leading web portal for cinema information in France.
In 2000, Allociné launched Allociné Télévision, a television channel dedicated to cinema news, films, and those who create them. In 2005, Allociné expanded its database to include television series. Between 2011 and 2012, Allociné operated an online television channel called Allociné TV and launched Allociné Productions, a subsidiary focused on audiovisual production.
AlloCiné was launched in 1993, before being purchased by Canal+ in 2000 and Vivendi Universal in 2002. From June 2007 to 2013, it was under the ownership of Tiger Global, an American investment fund. 98% of Allociné was purchased by FIMALAC, a French holding company owned by Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, for 66.9 million euros. Allociné subsequently became affiliated with Webedia, a company owned by Fimalac.
In January 2015, Allociné, along with SensCritique, Première, and Télérama, was one of four platforms selected by the CNC as partners for the launch of its VOD offer search engine. On 5 September 2011, AlloCiné launched AlloCiné TV, a now-defunct private TV channel.

## History
### 1990s

In 1988, Jean-David Blanc developed the concept of an automated telephone information service for cinema showtimes in Paris. The brand AlloCiné was registered in October 1988. Patrick Holzman later joined the project, and it was officially launched during the Fête du Cinéma in June 1993. By 1994, the service expanded to include ticket reservations. In 1995, the service was made available on Minitel and remained operational until shortly before Minitel's discontinuation in 2012. In 1997, AlloCiné launched its website, www.allocine.fr, and introduced a mobile version via WAP.

### 2000s

Allociné expanded into teleshopping in August 2000 through the acquisition of cinestore.com, a website selling film-related merchandise and videos. At that time, online ticket sales accounted for only 15 to 20% of Allociné's revenue. On September 5, 2000, Allociné launched the thematic channel Allociné Télévision on CanalSatellite, with music composed by Michel Legrand.
In 2001, after ten years as CEO, Jean-David Blanc sold Allociné to Vivendi-Universal, which integrated it into Canal Numédia, the web subsidiary of Canal+. That same year, Allociné Vision was created, providing users with access to cinema-related programs, later evolving into Kiosque Ciné.
In April 2002, Allociné experienced two significant developments:
* Allociné Télévision, launched in September 2000 on CanalSatellite, merged with its competitor, Ciné Info, on April 26, 2002, under the name Allo Ciné Info (Allociné Télévision 50%, Ciné Info 50%). It was broadcast on TPS under this name until December 2002.
* Allociné was integrated into the Internet subsidiary of the Vivendi Universal group.
In September 2003, during the restructuring of the Vivendi Universal group, Allociné was sold and became independent again. By the following year, Allociné had returned to profitability despite incurring a loss of 4.5 million euros in 2003 while part of the Canal+ group. It was acquired by the French investment fund CITA (Compagnie d'investissement dans les technologies avancées) Gestion FCPR, created in 1985 by French and Kuwaiti financial institutions.
In 2005, Allociné expanded its information portal to include content on television series and launched a service in the United Kingdom at allocine.co.uk.
Allociné held a near-monopoly as a cinema portal, selling its content and services to generalist portals and mobile operators. It represented the development of a company in a "sector easy to dematerialize," such as cinema ticket sales, and the implementation of related multimedia strategies.
In October 2006, Allociné invested in Abricoo, an engineering company specializing in blogs and Web 2.0 applications.
In 2007, Allociné's website underwent a significant change in media broadcasting, moving from outdated Microsoft Windows Media/Real formats to Flash Video (Adobe), similar to YouTube and Dailymotion, including an improved user interface. Allociné continued its international development by launching a website in Germany (allocine.de).
Allociné was sold to Tiger Global, an American investment fund that acquired a majority stake in the company for an undisclosed amount. According to Le Figaro, the valuation reached 120 million euros. Claude Esclatine, formerly of France Télévisions, was appointed CEO.
In 2008, allocine.co.uk was rebranded as screenrush.co.uk. The service on Minitel was also discontinued.
In 2009, Allociné acquired a 34% stake in the cinema advertising agency Talent Group and purchased the German website filmstarts.de. A new version of Allociné was released on October 15.