UK producer-financier Goldfinch launches drama & factual TVOD service

La Vie En Rose

Goldfinch, the UK-based independent producer-financier, has launched TVOD service BirdBox.Film.

Split across three channels – documentary, drama and festival favourites – the platform offers a wide range of films for users to rent or buy. These include hits such as Edith Piaf biopic La Vie En Rose, period drama A Single Man and Nicolas Wind Refn’s action movie Drive.

The company is aiming to benefit from a perceived oversaturation in the subscription market by offering films to rent and buy, with prices starting at £1.99 ($2.60).

In addition to the three curated channels, the TVOD will launch a horror channel in June, a shorts channel in July and a sci-fi channel in August. Each channel promises to have 50 films by the summer.

The platform was first announced almost exactly one year ago, with launch initially slated for Autumn 2019.

Phil McKenzie, COO of Goldfinch, said: “BirdBox.Film adds a key direct distribution function to Goldfinch, which is totally in tune with the digital viewing habits of our modern audiences. Whilst our business plan is focused on the UK initially, the technology also gives us the opportunity to expand into other territories, and provide a white label service to festivals, markets, distributors and media companies. The platform also adds to Goldfinch’s vision of supplying a holistic package of services to content creators to finance, produce and monetize their ideas.”

Interest in the TVOD space has been increasing of late. NBCUniversal’s Fandango has acquired Walmart’s Vudu while beIN Media has launched its own TVOD service.

Also spurring interest in TVOD has been the shuttering of cinemas around the globe as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic with a number of movie distributors experimenting with going direct to consumers’ living rooms.