Doc Distro Lit Review: Streaming

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Data scientist and journalist Daniel Parris describes the economics of streaming, proposing that as streaming libraries grow, the content value diminishes, and therefore streamers are left with the options of producing less or cheaper content or going under.
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Strategic brand consultant and independent film producer Brian Newman conveys his current rules for distribution, including details about the decreasing role of streamers in acquiring documentaries and in output deals with distributors, declining transactional revenue and theatrical engagement with documentaries (aside from event screenings), and more ideas for reaching a targeted audience.
Illustration of a "The End" sign on hills with bright lights
Jacobin contributing editor Daniel Bessner reports on the current risk-averse state of the screenwriting business in Hollywood—discussing compensation trends and tracing the history of its value in the film and television industries through company consolidations, labor movements, streamers' strategies, executives' predisposition toward intellectual property-driven content, and more.
Image of Prime Video and Disney+ logos alongside a map with pushpins in various locations
Writers Jesse Whittock and Sara Merican delve into the competitive landscape of the streaming industry in Southeast Asia, where Prime Video and Disney+ are retracting much of their presence in original productions, leaving Netflix as the main American streamer commissioning projects there.
Colorful illustration of a milk chocolate bar, bag of popcorn, box of candy, and soda cup all looking sad, sitting outside a movie theater
Hollywood faces challenges in 2024 with disruptions from strikes and pandemic-related issues, prompting a shift to producing quick, self-contained films and a call for the industry to reconnect with an entrepreneurial spirit amid uncertainties about streaming services and declining movie genres.
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Independent filmmakers and distributors report content restrictions and algorithmic filtering of online marketing material interfering in film campaigns and streaming releases.
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Writer Anthony Kaufman reflects on Netflix's unprecedented acquisitions of documentaries at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, raising questions about the impact on theatrical distribution, the role of celebrity endorsements, and the evolving dynamics of the documentary market.
A compilation of five images, from the films: “Four Daughters,” “Bobi Wine: The People’s President,” “To Kill a Tiger,” “The Eternal Memory,” and “20 Days in Mariupol.”
The 2024 Oscar documentary nominations, dominated by international filmmakers and with little major streamer-backed films, have sparked discourse on potential resentment in the documentary branch, a preference for social-issue documentaries, and considerations for altering the voting system.
Distribution Advocates Presents logo with the message, Episode 1: Sales Agents
Hosted by producer, filmmaker, and Distribution Advocates co-founder Avril Speaks, this episode of the Distribution Advocates Presents podcast features conversations with industry leaders Pat Murphy, Orly Ravid, Alece Oxendine, Set Hernandez, Abby Sun, Efuru Flowers, and Kaila Sarah Hier, on the role of sales agents in rights deals.
Distribution Advocates Presents logo, with the message, Episode 2: Awards
Hosted by producer, filmmaker, and Distribution Advocates co-founder Avril Speaks, this episode of the Distribution Advocates Presents podcast features conversations with industry leaders Abby Sun, Matt Stoller, Rintu Thomas, Sushmit Ghosh, and Kaila Sarah Hier, on the issues surrounding documentary awards, including what it takes to campaign and questioning the purpose of awards in the field.
Photograph of people dancing in the street in front of the Egyptian Theatre at the Sundance Film Festival
Founder, CEO, and Editor in Chief of TheWrap, Sharon Waxman reports on perceptions of the faltering independent film business model at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. *Please note: This article is behind a paywall.
Image of an audience looking toward a bright empty screen
Walter Shorenstein fellow Keri Putnam explores the risks and challenges associated with the streaming media age, discussing implications for content creators, platforms, and consumers in an evolving digital landscape.