Availability Reporting: The Cornerstone of Film Distribution (Part 1)
In today’s digital age, film distribution and rights management have become increasingly complex. The growing popularity of streaming services and the increasing global consumption of TV content have made it more important than ever for distributors to have an accurate picture of their content rights, availability dates, and conditions. This is where availability reporting becomes crucial, as it provides a comprehensive view of the available rights per title while instantly checking for conflicts. Availability reports allow distributors to determine which rights are available in a specific territory and language. This information is essential for making informed decisions on what to offer for licensing and how best to monetize content.
An effective availability report should support decision making by delivering the following:
● Provide precise dates and period of availability of a title for each medium (e.g. Theatrical, Non-Theatrical, Home Entertainment, FTV, PTV, VOD, FAST TV, etc.), territory and optionally, language;
● Distinguish between availability of rights for exclusive licenses and availability of rights for non-exclusive licenses;
● Incorporate holdbacks in availability calculations;
● Suggest available titles based on specific criteria (e.g. content type, genre, runtime, box office, rating, etc.);
● Enable the option to filter out unavailable rights;
● Facilitate quick access to the related owned or acquired rights;
● Provide swift access to a title’s sales history within a particular medium and territory;
● Factor in acquisition run-off periods (automatic extension terms) when calculating availability;
● Provide reports on past, present, and future availability;
● Reflect licensee options (renewal, additional episodes, etc.) from previous sales;
● Export snapshots to spreadsheets for offline use;
● Save criteria for future reuse.
Relying on spreadsheets or applications with inadequate availability reporting capabilities can lead to inefficiencies or substantial losses in the distribution process, as incomplete or incorrect availability data could ultimately result in overlapping and conflicting licensed rights.
Overall, availability reporting is a strategic tool for content distributors. A reliable and efficient availability reporting system is essential for any modern film distribution and rights management software.