By Mary Compton and Macee Brotherton
In the spring of 2020 as Texas A&M University and the nation began formulating precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, MSC Aggie Cinema realized they would not be able to offer theatre screenings for students. Rather than give up, they decided to try something completely different.
A major distributor helped the committee create what we now know as AggieCinema.tamu.edu, an Aggie only online streaming service. The service launched in August 2020 just before Howdy Week with the primary audience being students who live in campus housing. (However, the service is available to anyone who is connected to the TAMU Wi-Fi network.) Since launching, students have watched over 17,000 titles in a variety of genres. The site currently hosts 284 different feature films which include new movies as well as well-loved classics, and 231 television episodes. Aggie Cinema even works with other committees and organizations to run themed virtual film parties.
Each month Aggie Cinema distributes surveys to campus asking students to vote for movies they can add to their carousel of films, ensuring there will always be something new to watch. Aggie Cinema is extremely pleased with the response they are getting and are looking into ways to continue offering AggieCinema.tamu.edu for students in the future, even after we return to regular theatre screenings. Students love the convenience of the site, and MSC Aggie Cinema members have enjoyed selecting and customizing the film selections for the campus community.