Screen Hits launching pilots streaming service

Screen Hits is preparing to launch a new online service that will allow consumers to stream a selection of TV pilots from around the world.

The company runs a B2B and a B2C online marketplace, allowing both buyers and consumers to screen content from international content companies.

The Pilot Showcase will launch on July 1 and feature pilots from international producers.

The pilots screening service will sit within the wider Screen Hits streaming platform for consumers. That service has content from producers and channels including Fox International Channels, Hasbro, Turner Broadcasting, Studio Hamburg, eOne, Lionsgate, Relativity, Myriad, Caracol, Venevision and Telemundo. Which producers will make pilots available has not been confirmed but will include some of the aforementioned content providers.

Consumers will be able to watch the pilots online and place a pre-order, giving them more episodes should the pilot be taken to series.

“The Pilot Showcase provides a new opportunity to give life to broken pilots and allows producers and studios to recoup some of their investment through showing their pilots and even more so, giving viewers a chance to pre-order a season of the show if it ever goes to series,” said Rose Adkins, CEO of ScreenHits.

The pilots in question will be available for six months, providing producers with real-life consumer feedback on their content and helping to inform decisions about what could get taken to series. Screen Hits added that it is important that the number of pilots made available remain manageable and noted it is offering a ‘curated’ service.

“We believe that great content should not be lost in a sea of titles,” Adkins said. “Many OTT platforms are becoming large back catalogue libraries with no standard quality checks for content. This isn’t beneficial to the consumer or the producer. ScreenHits will never show more than 200 show titles per quarter.”

London-based Screen Hits recently raised US$1.2 million in a finding round.