We've got a pilot for a series. If we put it on a revenue split site like Tubi and created a lot of buzz around the project, is there a chance we could someday try to sell it to Netflix or Hulu (or would they not want it on the grounds that it's already been streamed?).
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That's one of those "your guess is as good as mine" questions. My question to you is, why do you care about Netflix or Hulu?? Neither is known for paying much money to indie producers, and Netflix in North America kinda cut off submissions a few years back (leading to the bankruptcy of Tag, Distribber, et al.) What is your goal as a producer? To make money or to be seen?
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Let's reverse psychology this - would you refuse an offer from HBO or Apple+? I think you need to release who you sell it to and focus more on who would watch it. Have you tried pitching to any Stage 32 executives? https://www.stage32.com/scriptservices/pitch-sessions
Being naive and inexperienced, I've spent the past year trying to solve this movie-making Rubiks cube. Here's what I've gathered. Netflix and other streaming platforms that "buy" film rights do not share statistics with you or the public. Unlike theatrical features that have reported "box office sales", streaming offers no way to gauge the success of your film. Streaming your film could have been shown 10x more than in the theater, but you only get paid a fixed rate. Great for Netflix, bad for you. However, from Netflix perspective, they have users that may watch 20 film a month for $12.
Tubi and the likes who share revenue always start of generous, but as they begin to get saturated with content they tend to dilute the profit sharing because...they can. Look at Amazon, people say they used to make $10K a month. Over time it went down to $10 a month while driving 10x the traffic from years earlier. Plus, they started dumping the low quality poor performing films because audience was complaining it was difficult to find a good film in a sea of bad ones.
I don't have an answer. I'm just sharing what I've read. It seems as soon as I get a lead on a new "sure fire" way to get eyeballs on film, it vaporizes before I get an account set up. I would love to hear about current success stories.
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James Scott No streaming service statistics are public; all are private. This is one of the reasons for the retreat from outside streaming paltforms that major studios are undertaking (ie. Disney dropped 30 networks and 100+ channels in the last few months, Fox announced it was moving to it's own 'broadcast direct' model, most majors have announced they are pulling future content from Netflix, Amazon etc.), as well as the fact that subscription-based models are unsustainable for both platform and producer. (resulting in Netflix being many billions in the red, Amazon paying a penny a stream, Quibi becoming the fastest distribution failure in mainstream history, et al.).
I DO have an answer, and that is the future of professional content being AVOD, TVOD and on a 'direct to audience' model. At Facet.TV we are developing all three, currently only TVOD. I am also with a group or film producers who are forming an independent producers/filmmakers industry organization whose mission in part is to explore and develop these issues for the good of the independent film producing industry. (Stay tuned next week on that one).
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Shadow Dragu-Mihai I'd like to learn more about "At Facet.TV we are developing all three, currently only TVOD. I am also with a group or film producers who are forming an independent producers/filmmakers industry organization whose mission in part is to explore and develop these issues for the good of the independent film producing industry. (Stay tuned next week on that one)." Where can I find out about those two organizations?
Ami Mariscal I think we are networked. Give me a message and we can talk off platform.
Same as @Ami trying to learn more. Thanks to all above for input. Business and tech is my nemesis and I need to grasp it if I'm ever going to self distribute my projects.