Sony Archives » FilmTake

Broken Windows: Inside Hollywood’s Lucrative Film Licensing Deals

January 15, 2023 FilmTake Comments Off

The battle over film licensing exclusivity transpired as expected once Netflix transitioned from a content aggregator to a content creator. One-by-one the major studios built direct-to-consumer streaming services to compete with Netflix.

Netflix Shatters Glass Ceiling

January 21, 2020 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix shocked most industry observers by receiving a leading 24 Academy Award nominations, more than any other distributor, including two for Best Picture.

Buyer Beware

September 10, 2019 FilmTake Comments Off

Buyers at TIFF are skittish after a 6% drop in North American box office receipts in 2019. Worse still, is the dire year indie films are having, where receipts have declined 45%.

Starz PayTV & SVOD Licensing Report

November 28, 2018 FilmTake Comments Off

Rate Cards for PayTV and SVOD licensing agreements between Starz and a U.S-based licensor for past, present and future content.

Studio Netflix

February 4, 2018 FilmTake Comments Off

Netflix plans to release 80 films in 2018; nearly as many as all six major studios combined.

Point of No Return for North America’s Box Office

January 2, 2018 FilmTake Comments Off

In 2017, North American theatrical admissions fell to 1992 levels. Admissions in the U.S and Canada dropped 6% to 1.23 billion tickets sold.

Production

Hollywood Financing is Broke [Part One]

July 31, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

Sony Pictures’ co-financing partner, LStar Capital, informed the studio at the last minute that they would no longer invest in Sony’s slate.

Production

Is Sony Pictures for Sale?

June 28, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

Mismanagement of Sony’s film unit over the years has propelled the studio into a downward spiral. Sony is under pressure by investors to sell the film unit.

Inside Baidu’s Hollywood Expansion

April 24, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

Since launching in 2010, iQiyi has accumulated the most paid SVOD subscribers in China, however, calculating an accurate subscriber base is challenging.

The “Netflix of China” Signs Streaming Deal with Warner Bros.

March 26, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

China’s iQiyi online video service entered into a streaming output agreement with Warner Brothers.

Distribution

Leaderless Sony Pictures $1 Billion Writedown

February 5, 2017 FilmTake Comments Off

After $1 billion writedown Sony Corp. announced that it does not plan to sell Sony Pictures. The company is under pressure to sell after mounting losses.

Lionsgate Inks Long-Term Digital Licensing with iQiyi

December 5, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

Lionsgate entered into a long-term content licensing agreement with iQiyi in November 2016 for upcoming features and select library films.

China’s iQiyi and Sony Sign Coproduction Agreement

December 5, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

iQiyi, a Chinese online video site owned by Baidu, announced in December that the company is coproducing a three-part local-language series with Sony.

Hollywood Welcomes Wanda Group’s CEO Wang Jianlin

October 18, 2016 FilmTake Comments Off

Wanda’s CEO Jianlin is in Hollywood to purchase more media properties. The acquisition of Legendary for $3.5 billion was the biggest Hollywood-China tie-up.

Licensing Analytics

NEW: SVOD Episodic Licensing Report Series

The SVOD Episodic Licensing Series is your inside source to uncover what streaming services around the world pay distributors to license episodic content.

Streamers Swiftly Shift Strategies from Content Exclusivity Back to Partnerships

Streaming

March 9, 2023 Comments Off

Less than a year ago, the largest content rights holders, including Warner Bros, were hoarding vast libraries of content from third-party licensees for use on their respective direct-to-consumer streaming services, reversing standard practices since time immemorial.

Netflix’s New Advertising Tier is Off to a Shaky Start

Streaming

January 25, 2023 Comments Off

Netflix’s ad-based tier aims to reduce the high churn the company faced in 2022, attract new subscribers, and lure back those who canceled. However, by all measures, the rushed experiment is failing. Netflix’s AVOD tier accounts for just 12% of its subscriber base.

Streaming Services Revert to Advertising to Drive Subscriber Growth

Streaming

January 12, 2023 Comments Off

Last year was the first year in the previous four years that didn’t welcome a new subscription streaming service from Hollywood’s major players. The lack of a new streaming service did not stop the existing services from offering new ways to watch content through paid and free ad-supported options.

Premium Streamers Scramble for Fresh Strategies to Retain Fickle Subscribers

Streaming

December 19, 2022 Comments Off

Streaming services are scrambling for new strategies to keep their existing subscribers in a highly crowded domestic market. The level of churn among premium streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Disney+ has accelerated.

Disney Surpasses Netflix to Become the World’s Leading Streaming Service

Streaming

November 18, 2022 Comments Off

Disney Streaming overtook Netflix as the world’s streaming leader in July 2022. Across all Disney streaming platforms (Disney+, Disney+ Hotstar, ESPN+, and Hulu), the company boosts 222.2 million subscribers compared to Netflix’s 220.7 million.