More than ever after the disappointing results of 2022 for most of them, global platforms seek profitability. This is a year of mergers, closures and reorganizations. Platforms associated with major studios are returning to a more traditional model where content exclusivity may no longer be central. On the other hand, newer digital players (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video) are showing signs of confidence in the future, in an economy that is generally struggling.
This thirteenth edition of our Digital Market News Bulletin, reserved for Unifrance members, takes a look at events in the global digital distribution market in the months of December 2022 and January, February, and March 2023.
At a time when there are fears of a general economic recession, many of the gains made are being questioned. Several major Hollywood studios' platforms prefer to rely on full exhibition of their works (with third-party sales and, why not, theatrical release) rather than on an exclusivity model. Local initiatives are multiplying to get the majors to participate in the local economy and production, and the U.S. Supreme Court even has to rule on the validity of the hosting status of digital giants.
Despite an abundance of options and simplified access to works, downloading is about to break records again. Worse, never before have so many hackers been willing to pay to obtain content illegally. The range of works on offer has become more complex and the signs of consumer saturation are multiplying – with no solution yet in sight.
FASTs remain a source of fascination, but also of fear. Their system is indeed complex and implies exchanging with a plurality of actors in the hope of making productions profitable. Nevertheless, many platforms seem to be able to find their way to profitability, whether they are local (Filmin), specialized (Crunchyroll), or global (Netflix, and perhaps, Prime Video).
Unifrance's daily digital market update is available on our dedicated Twitter account: @UnifranceNum
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