Film website IMDb is shutting down its message boards

From Digital Spy

IMDb, AKA the Internet Movie Database, is shutting down its message boards later this month.

The site said in a statement that the boards were no longer "positive" for the 250 million visitors worldwide who visit IMDb every month. They will be disabled on February 20, along with the private message system.

"After in-depth discussion and examination, we have concluded that IMDb's message boards are no longer providing a positive, useful experience," the company explained.

"The decision to retire a long-standing feature was made only after careful consideration and was based on data and traffic. Increasingly, IMDb customers have migrated to IMDb's social media accounts as the primary place they choose to post comments."

It's a decision that's gone down fairly well on Twitter.

They noted that IMDb's official Facebook and Twitter accounts have an audience of more than 10 million engaged fans.

Message board users will have two weeks to archive any content they want to keep and exchange information with fellow users who they want to remain in contact with.

"We regret any disappointment or frustration IMDb message board users may experience as a result of this decision," the company added.

"We will continue to enhance our current offerings and launch new features in 2017 and beyond that will help our customers communicate and express themselves in meaningful ways."

IMDb was founded by Col Needham in 1990 and was sold to Amazon in 1998 for $55 million (£44 million).

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