Franchising has become a stable, lucrative business model over the past years. The possibilities to create a franchise in any sector (as long as it generates cash) have become endless. Providing news information for fans on their popular TV show is now an explosive industry. Movie websites run by the fans known as ‘movie wikis’ have become trendy. Running a simple keyword search on movie fan sites will show you the search volume happening every year. Here is a list of some popular movie wikis.
According to research by therichest.com on 15 movie franchises with the most loyal fan base, these movies have fan bases that exist long after, while some even have official fan sites.
Watching movies is not just entertainment but a passion that creates a loyal following (fandom). These are people looking for news updates, information on the show, characters, even the cast themselves to keep their kingdom alive.
There is a gap for tangible information online when it comes to many movies and TV shows such as Southland. Hence, an opportunity to start a movie wiki franchise of your favorite shows.
So, can you franchise a movie fansite? This article shows you exactly how to go about it.
Type of fan site: Official and unofficial
Sites that have endorsement from the subject are official fan sites. They provide material and reimbursement for running the site. Such sites have a closer affiliation with the target subject than unofficial sites.
Sites run exclusively by fans are unofficial sites. They provide the latest news regarding the subject, useful links, downloads, and discussion boards. Fans go to the unofficial sites for fan-related services like socializing and affiliation and official sites for information confirmation. Learn more about the types in this article.
Franchising opportunity
Most movie fan sites do not run as single entities. They often affiliate with other sites to boost the quality and quantity of content. However, a franchise is not the same as an affiliate. Franchising a fan site like southland is about getting the rights to run your website using the southland first name. It requires using a franchise business model as follows;
- Identify a site with similar interests.
- Reach out to the franchisor (the website you intend to work with)
- Receiving an FDD to learn more about the business opportunity. It is also a learning curve on the expectation of each party.
- Enter into a franchise agreement- Once you determine that the terms of the contract are acceptable, you will sign a franchise agreement to become an official franchisee of the site.
- Franchise Operations Manual – The core of the business!
Earning
Franchisees run and operate as individual businesses. That means the profits from the site belong to the franchisee. They will only pay the main website a franchise fee for using the name. The amount to pay depends on the agreement, negotiation, and the net worth of the business.
In a nutshell, running a movie wiki franchise can be a great way to earn passive income online. The key is making good choices on the type of fansite to franchise with, its stability and, the fan base. High grossing movies and TV shows are a great indicator of a strong fan base.