Category: Streaming and Platforms
Streaming platforms are reshaping how indie films reach the world. Explore the mechanics and economics of AVOD, SVOD, and TVOD platforms, and learn how to position your film for success in a data-driven digital marketplace.
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Streaming Killed the Distribution Pipeline, Now It’s Time to Rebuild
The internet broke the monopoly. For over a century, film distribution followed the same narrow funnel: make the movie, pray it gets into a top-tier festival, hope for a distribution deal, and if the gods smile on you, maybe your film ends up in theaters or on cable. It was a pipeline built on gatekeeping,
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AVOD vs. SVOD: Most Filmmakers Are Choosing Wrong
When filmmakers talk distribution, they talk like it’s a badge of honor. I’m so sick of the not-so-humble brags: “We’re on Netflix.” “We licensed to Hulu.” “We landed with a premium SVOD partner.” And yes, that can sound great on a press release. It’s the streaming version of being picked first. Congrats. Everyone else is
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Film Finance on the Blockchain: How Ecosystems Are Shifting
Blockchain isn’t just for cryptocurrency. In indie film, it’s quietly revolutionizing financing, rights management, distribution, and royalties. From smart contracts and NFTs to peer-to-peer streaming, filmmakers are reclaiming creative control. That has investors paying attention. Table of Contents 1. Tokenized Financing & Decentralized Funding 2. Smart Contracts & Automated Royalties 3. Transparent Rights Management &
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Ditch Netflix: Why Indie Filmmakers Are Embracing Direct-to-Fan Sales
For years, Netflix was the golden ticket: land a deal and you reach millions. But many indie filmmakers are walking away, choosing to sell directly to fans on platforms like Vimeo On Demand, Kickstarter, or niche streaming apps. Direct-to-fan strategies are gaining ground. Table of Contents 1. Creative Control and Ownership 2. Revenue Share That
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Sponsored Web Series Are the Future of Brand-Backed Filmmaking
For decades, brands were relegated to the sidelines of film and TV—footnotes in product placement deals or sponsors of commercial breaks. But today, many are skipping the middleman entirely. From fashion labels to beverage companies, brands are now funding and producing their own content in the form of sponsored web series. These aren’t just glorified
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Why Your Forgotten Indie Film Might Still Make Money
Most indie films get a brief moment in the sun, maybe a small theatrical run, a festival circuit, or a modest DVD release. Then they quietly fade into obscurity. But streaming platforms have rewritten that script. With the right tweaks, older indie films can find new audiences, generate fresh revenue, and build the filmmaker’s brand
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The One Stat Netflix Prioritizes Above All
Here’s the brutal truth Netflix doesn’t advertise, but their internal documents (leaked in 2023) confirmed: completion rate is king. Not views. Not likes. Not even watch time in minutes. If viewers don’t finish your film, the algorithm assumes something’s wrong—and it buries your title. It gets recommended less. It drops lower in search. It quietly
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Tubi Originals Are Booming: Your Indie Film Should Be Next
You’ve heard it before: “Everyone’s chasing Netflix.” But while indie filmmakers crowd the gates of the big SVOD platforms, a quiet disruptor has been building momentum, and paying for mid-budget films with real speed. We’re talking about Tubi Originals. They’re not a gimmick. They’re not a fluke. They’re a growing juggernaut in the indie film
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AVOD Success Is All About the Long Tail
There’s a myth in indie film that everything rides on the premiere. That if your launch doesn’t explode with views, headlines, and social buzz, you’ve already lost. That logic might apply to theatrical releases or opening-weekend box office. But in the time of the rise of AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) it couldn’t be more
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How Black and White Films Really Perform on Streaming and Licensing Platforms
It’s easy to romanticize black and white filmmaking. It feels “elevated,” “artful,” even “cinematic” in ways color sometimes isn’t. But for filmmakers and investors alike, admiration alone isn’t enough. What matters is how the film performs once it leaves your hands and enters the market. Does black and white help or hurt your odds on
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Getting Your Film on Digital Platforms and What Indie Filmmakers Need to Know
Getting your film on a major streaming platform like Amazon Prime or Apple TV isn’t as simple as uploading it to YouTube. These platforms aren’t just libraries—they’re curated ecosystems, and each has its own submission process, technical standards, and distribution gatekeepers. Some platforms allow direct submission. Others require going through a content aggregator or distributor.
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Beyond Netflix, and How Local Streaming Platforms are Powering an Indie Film Boom
Streaming isn’t just an American game anymore. Around the world, regional platforms are drawing massive audiences, rivaling the global giants in their home markets. Services like Britain’s BritBox and China’s iQIYI boast millions of subscribers, with iQIYI reporting over 500 million monthly users consuming nearly 6 billion hours of content?. These platforms have evolved to
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69 Things I Learned About Filmmaking (From Writing 69 Blog Posts About It)
When I started writing blog posts for Garvescope, I didn’t plan to write 69 of them. (Nice.) But somewhere between breaking down film budgets and unraveling the mystery of AVOD algorithms, I realized I wasn’t just writing about filmmaking. I was mapping the modern indie film playbook. Because here’s the truth: filmmaking isn’t just a
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How to Predict Which Films Will Dominate Streaming for Years
Not every film that debuts on a streaming platform enjoys long-term success. Some movies trend for a few weeks before fading into obscurity, while others maintain steady viewership for years, generating revenue long after their initial release. Identifying films with long-term streaming potential before they break out can be a valuable skill for investors, distributors,
