52 OTT TV FILES FilmStruck International
GOING INTERNATIONAL FilmStruck International came about when Turner International’s Digital Ventures & Innovation Group, launched by Turner in January 2017, investigated new opportunities under the banner of digital innovation. One of the key areas it looked at was the direct-to-consumer space, and with Turner’s rich film legacy in mind, it spotted a gap in the market that mainstream OTT service providers such as Netflix and Amazon had failed to fill. After validating that gap with further research, FilmStruck International came into being on 19 January 2018 as a new, multi-territory streaming service, with the UK as the joint venture’s initial launch market in February. The service draws primarily on the
This means we can go above and beyond just a classic or world cinema film. Quality film is for everybody who loves film,” she adds. Samanidis points to the proof that this mainstream, yet curated, approach is working: “Our top performing films each month are always from a really broad range of genres, proving that our content appeals to a lot of people with different tastes. “What’s unique is that we’re servicing a need no one else is servicing at this point. We have the backing of a very big media organisation, and we’ve found a gap in the market, so hopefully by putting our minds to what we are trying to achieve, we will be very successful.”
extensive Warner Bros. library and the Criterion Collection library, as well as other global and local content partners. The UK service also launched in association with cinema brand Curzon as FilmStruck Curzon and features a branded Curzon area on the site. The content also includes curated themes, exclusive bonus material including cast interviews, Criterion original mini-documentaries and hosted introductions, and original artwork. STARING DOWN COMPETITORS On how it is facing up to larger mainstream OTT providers, Samanidis says it is not: “We’re not trying to compete with Netflix or Amazon, we are complementary to those services. A person signing up with us is
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