Proshot, the Belgium-based media company, is close to finalising an ambitious plan to make its soon-to-be launched Filmpot, a UAE-based streaming service, into a platform for movie makers to release their new films for a global audience under a revenue-sharing model, the chief executive of the company said.
According to the plans, it will enter into exclusive agreements with film producers around the world – Hollywood, Bollywood and other regional ones – for streaming their newly produced movies on the Filmpot app under a pay-per-view model.
“Movie viewers around the world will have the option to buy tickets and watch new movies on our app in the comfort of their homes. Our app will have special applications which will also provide the feel and effects – like that in a theatre – to the viewers,” Iman Khatibzadeh, founder and chief executive officer of Proshot Media, told Arabian Business.
Khatibzadeh said film makers will also have the freedom to show their movies in cinemas when they are opened, while viewers will continue to have the option of watching the movie either in a theatre or on the Filmpot app.
Industry experts say the model could prove to be a game changer for the industry, facing uncertain times due to pandemic-induced closure of cinemas and increasing aversion of movie goers to visit closed and crowded theatres.
“Movie watching habits are transforming significantly, and I do think that pay-per-view players get the consumer experience and pricing right. Then it will be a game changer for the industry in terms of niche content being widely available,” Sandeep Ganediwalla, Dubai-based managing partner of RedSeer Consulting, told Arabian Business.
“However, the key stakeholders of the current theatre ecosystem – producers, studios and exhibitors – will need to work closely to innovate in this new model,” Ganediwalla added.
Sandeep Ganediwalla, Dubai-based managing partner of RedSeer Consulting
Khatibzadeh said his company was already in talks with film producers from around the world, including some of the studios, and was hopeful that many of them would come on board for this project.
“We already have one film maker from the Middle East region on board and we are in serious discussions with some of the producers in Hollywood and Bollywood also,” he said.
“We are sure that this model is going to be the future of film watching post-pandemic, with viewers increasingly preferring to watch new films at home with their families,” Khatibzadeh said.
He said Proshot, a digital media company, will be doing the global marketing operations of the new project, using its world-wide network with TV channels and social media platforms.
The Filmpot app will have two categories – one for new movie screening and the second for its other content series, including movies dubbed in Arabic or Arabic movies with English and French subtitles.
“Both these options will be available to subscribers from around the world, [while] Filmpot will be headquartered in Dubai, it will be launched as a global venture,” he said.
Iman Khatibzadeh, founder and chief executive officer of Proshot Media
For watching new films, viewers can buy tickets online for specific showing slots – similar to that in cinemas.
The Belgium-based company is currently awaiting the license from the UAE authorities for launching the streaming services.
On the revenue sharing, Khatibzadeh said it would be almost similar to the traditional movie theatre ticket sale revenue-share model.
“For instance, if the ticket is priced at $25, $20 will go to the producer and $5 to Filmpot, Khatibzadeh said, adding that prices will be different for customers from different countries.
“We will have special applications in our app which can identify customers’ location based on their IP addresses,” Khatibzadeh said.
Khatibzadeh said this way, film producers can raise more revenue, unlike, say, from their licensing deals with over the tops (OTTs) like Netflix or Amazon Prime which take lump sum amounts.
Film producers have been premiering some of their new movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime due to cinema closures and mobility restrictions.
Some film industry insiders, however, cautioned that the success of the new model will depend on whether or not it can prevent piracy.
Komal Nahta, a Mumbai-based Bollywood film producer and trade analyst
“The threat of piracy can become a major issue in the pay-per-view model. It directly affects revenues adversely in that model,” Komal Nahta, a Mumbai-based Bollywood film producer and trade analyst, told Arabian Business.
“Once the pirated version is available free, who would want to pay $25 for it? Hence producers and the platform may end up losing millions of dollars.
“Unless the law enforcement machinery comes into play, neither the OTT platform nor the producers can hope to exploit this avenue of pay-per-view. That’s the harsh and practical truth,” Nahta said.
Khatibzadeh said the company’s technical and legal experts are currently working on preventing any sort of piracy on the platform.
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