When it comes to movie distribution, maximizing revenue is essential. And while iTunes, Google Play and Amazon are popular first window transactional (TVOD) marketplaces, once the sales slow down, it may make sense to expand your reach into Subscription Video On Demand. One popular SVOD platform is Hulu.
Like most SVOD platforms, Hulu does not require viewers to enter a credit card (and transact each time) to access content. Instead viewers pay a monthly fee for access to Hulu content. And as a result, once you get your film into Hulu, a viewer can access your film and watch it without obstacles.
How To Sell Your Movie On Hulu
If you decide to license your film to Hulu, you'll agree to a set amount of money, paid quarterly over a one or two year term. For this reason, the acquisitions process is heavily curated. Since Hulu does not work with individual filmmakers, in order to secure a licensing deal for your movie or TV-Show, you will need to work with a sales agent, distributor or a Hulu approved aggregator.
Because there are a gazillion filmmakers competing to get a deal, you will have to find creative ways to make your film stand out and get noticed. Think of Hulu the same way you think about HBO or Showtime. What’s in it for Hulu to pick up your film? Here are some questions to help refine your pitch:
- Do you have any “names” or “influencers” in your film?
- Does your film focus on a popular subject?
- Does your film have a strong social media following or press?
Once you have a strong pitch that showcases the value of your film, your next step is to partner with a distributor, sales agent or aggregator capable of making the pitch. These entities will first evaluate your film to determine if your film (and your pitch) has a good shot at getting picked up.
Deliver Your Content
If your film gets pitched to Hulu, it will take a few weeks to get a response. If the folks at Hulu are interested, they will negotiate directly with your distributor or aggregator. If the deal is accepted, you will need to provide your distributor or aggregator with all the necessary video files, artwork and paperwork. Your distributor will then work with various vendors and encoding houses to deliver your film.
If Hulu is passes on your film, you usually won’t get a lot of feedback. Do not take this personally. Perhaps Hulu picked up a similar film last week. Or perhaps the acquisition team is focused on other genres. Or maybe it’s raining in Hollywood?
