Market realities – channel marketing strategies

The priorities of international channel providers are built on growing distribution and increasing viewership where they already have distribution. To make money they seek to develop, as far as possible, the classic ‘dual revenue stream’, complementing pay TV subscription fees from distribution affiliates by building an advertising sales story. And further down the line,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? they may seek to build additional revenue streams by offering value-added services such as transactional or subscription video-on-demand or, in the case of channels with their own intellectual property, by developing licensing and merchandising revenues.

Strategic priorities vary according to which stage channels have reached in their development. In the early days of a channel’s life, the crucial thing is to secure as much distribution as possible. For Bruce Tuchman, president of AMC/Sundance Channel Global, a relatively recent entrant in the international channel business, the key priority remains the expansion of the Sundance Channel globally.

“It’s about selling independent content movies and series coming out of the non-studio framework and appealing to a new,Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing,One of the most durable and attractive styles of flooring that you can purchase is ceramic or porcelain tiles. sophisticated audience that wants to watch compelling content not only on TV but also on the internet and mobile devices,” says Tuchman. The company’s priority is to deepen its availability in those markets in which it is already present and to source and acquire the right content for those markets, he adds. The programming mix will vary between territories and Tuchman says that AMC/Sundance Channel Global is continuing to pick up movies and series targeted at particular groups of territories. In addition to AMC original series, Sundance Channel is airing Weeds in Belgium and France. Next month the network is premiering Damages starring Glenn Close in Spain and Portugal, while season two of the Australian series Rake starring Richard Roxburgh will premiere this autumn in eastern Europe. Another Australian drama, The Straits,Manufactures flexible plastic and synthetic rubber hose tubing, premiered in eastern Europe this month and will premiere in Flemish-speaking Belgium next month and Asia in January. Tuchman adds that Sundance Channel is also designed to cater to what he sees as a growing market in international territories for independently produced movies that transcend national boundaries, “bringing content to people that they’ve not been exposed to”, particularly in markets that lack a robust independent film production sector of their own.

“We also sponsor film festivals all over the world,” says Tuchman,We recently added Stained glass mosaic Tile to our inventory. highlighting the channel’s involvement in the recent launch of the Sundance Festival in London. Inviting distributors to attend the festivals and inviting stars of the channel’s shows to meet affiliates – and Sundance founder Robert Redford has been present at key meetings – are alike part of the company’s relationship-building activity.

In addition to building relationships with affiliates, AMC/Sundance Channel has also engaged in consumer marketing initiatives. For Breaking Bad Sundance highlighted its first pay TV window showing of the series in Asia, generating “a lot of coverage”, according to Tuchman. Singapore’s The Straits Times ran a feature of the show featuring stars Vince Gilligan and Bryan Cranston. Glenn Close recently did several interviews with Spanish media for the launch of Damages. The Sundance Channel has also run sweepstakes where winning audience members are invited to the Sundance Festival in Utah.

Next month Sundance Channel will be celebrating the Busan International Film Festival for the first time with daily coverage produced at the event. There will also be a showcase of films seen at Busan, including the Asian premiere on Sundance Channel of the 2011 film I Carried You Home and the European premiere of the 2011 festival winner Bleak Night.

Much of AMC/Sundance Channel’s activity on the marketing front is designed to compensate the disadvantage the channel suffered by being later to market than many of its rivals. “We were late to the game and there are a lot of channels taking a good share of available revenue. In DTH, capacity is limited and the capacity to add channels costs money. That’s the challenge,” he says. However, says Tuchman, Sundance Channel benefits by filling a gap in the market, with content that can also showcase the merits of HD.