MOVIEFONE LOSES THE PHONE, GETS A MAKE-OVER

Moviefone, the original telephone-and-online ticket-selling service that was launched in 1989, expanded into television on Monday with a new app that will allow users to watch a streaming movie or TV show simply by typing in the title. The app will find the content regardless of whether it is available from Netflix or Amazon Prime or iTunes, or Hulu, or a network website or any other video site. The app was developed by Whalerock Industries, owned by former ABC Entertainment Chairman Lloyd Braun. (It is essentially the former BermanBraun production company following the departure of Gail Berman in January.) Braun was called in by Susan Lyne, CEO of AOL Brand Group, which oversees Moviefone, in the hope of reinvigorating the unit, which has fallen behind the relative upstart company Fandango. The pair had previously worked together as the top executives of ABC Entertainment. Also on Monday, Lyne announced that AOL will launch a hunt for a new Mr. (or Ms) Moviefone, originally voiced by Russ Leatherman, who founded the company.