![]() ![]() They are now calculated according to a proprietary “customer engagement ranking.” Currently, rates range from one cent to 12 cents per hour, down from a flat rate of 15 cents when the service launched five years ago.Īmazon’s decision to halt all documentary content submissions without so much as a heads up suggests that relationships with these long-term partners are not a primary concern. By 2019, Festival Stars was dead, and Amazon significantly changed its royalty structure for titles monetized through Amazon Prime. Prime Video Direct continues to be a lifeline for independent filmmakers and distributors, but there have been signs that Amazon is not as enamored. “Most Beautiful Island” made use of the Festival Stars program after its SXSW Grand Jury prize win in 2017. You need to diversify multiple revenue streams, and you need to control as many of those sources as possible.” “Amazon Prime was built on the backs of independent filmmakers,” said Alex Ferrari, a filmmaker and author of “Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Profitable Business.” “If you give too much power to one source, you’re screwed. Sure, everyone does business with platforms like Tubi, Vimeo, Google Play, and Apple, but Amazon - the only mainstream service that accepts unsolicited film submissions - is hard to beat. For distributors and filmmakers alike, easy uploading to a scale audience was an irresistible combination. ![]() Netflix had over 3,500 and Hulu had just under 1,000. A recent report from Reelgood found Amazon had over 15,000 movies included with Prime in the U.S. The tactics were also key in building the streamer’s library, which is now dramatically larger than any of its peers. Given Amazon’s massive reach, and multiple ways to make money, it was positioned as a fierce competitor in the battle for video ad dollars. Anyone could upload content to Amazon either as titles included free with Prime subscriptions (and earn a royalty) or as digital purchases or rentals. When it launched in May 2016, it was positioned to lure content creators away from YouTube with bonuses and a more premium experience. It reminds me of when politicians want to cut PBS funding.” (An Amazon representative declined to comment for this story.)ĭespite Amazon’s dystopian approach to customer service, Prime Video Direct has been in a process of evolution from the start. “The lack of any human response adds to the frustration. ![]() “The selections are so random, it feels like a machine is doing this and not humans,” said one executive working on films impacted by the decision. ![]() Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 45 Films the Director Wants You to See All inquiries are submitted via trouble tickets, and everyone receives the same boilerplate response via their Amazon Prime Video direct dashboards: Unless otherwise indicated,” the message says, “removed titles (or titles not selected for licensing) may not be resubmitted or appealed.”Īmazon and MGM Finally Hires Its Film Chief: Courtenay Valentiĭoes New Bundle with MGM+ Make Amazon a Potential Starz Buyer? Whether you’re an individual filmmaker or an established specialty distributor, no one can ask an Amazon Prime Video Direct representative for more information there’s no one to ask. Amazon also has been dropping long-running documentary titles from the service, with stakeholders receiving no warning or context for the decisions.įilmmakers and distributors are aghast, but Amazon Prime Video Direct seems to be egalitarian in how it treats its partners. When Amazon made a unilateral decision in early February to stop accepting documentaries and short films via Prime Video Direct (a policy that also covers “slide shows, vlogs, podcasts, tutorials, filmed conferences, monologues, toy play, music videos, and voiceover gameplay”), the announcement also served as a quiet purge. ![]()
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