a new start up company that will launch later this year called, Afrostream TV. Afrostream TV is a SVOD (Subscription Video On Demand) distribution company that intends to become the," Netflix of streaming Black content around the world," in the words of the company's CEO Tonje Bakang in a recent interview with this writer.

Although the idea of streaming Black content specifically to Black audiences is not new and without competition what makes the intention of Afrostream TV unique is that Black content will not be excluded from the existing international audiences to which such content would appeal. For example, Bakang explains that there is an estimated population of 15 million people of Sub-Saharan African descent in Europe alone (France, Belgium, Spain and the U.K.) as well as a huge market within several countries within the continent of Africa. Yet these audiences are underserved by the American Entertainment Complex which has for decades intentionally denied Black American filmmakers legitimate profit making access to these international audiences under the lie that Black films won't sell well overseas. Bakang was adamant during our interview that Afrostream TV is not being created to distribute domestic Black content to its domestic Black audience, but instead their mission is to deliver domestic Black content to its existing but underserved international foreign audience.

In other words, Black films from the United States will be streamed to subscribers in Europe and Africa as Black films from Europe and Africa will be streamed to subscribers in the United States.

Through Afrostream TV African-American filmmakers who have been deliberately segregated from international markets will soon be able to license SVOD rights of their films to Afrostream TV for 24 months and have their works subtitled in various languages and seen in France, French Overseas Territories, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, U.K., and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Black audiences across the globe will be able to see and enjoy the work of Black American filmmakers without having to resort to bootlegging this content.

Poll result (53 votes) $15/month (0 votes) Vote $9/month (6 votes) Vote $5/month (6 votes) Vote would rather pay per content view (2 votes) Vote free.99 only (6 votes) Vote prolly not interested even if free (33 votes) Vote

i'm out.
_____________________
"WHOLESALE REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS!!"
@etfp

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

http://youtu.be/sw6ndZNLYUA

ie krush groove or toussaint biopic with subtitles

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

I need these nigerian movies to be curated.

The actual quality content that's owned by the same studios that make so called "White movies" sign package deals with Netflix and Hulu, and those items are going to end up there.

I don't know what content they'll actually be able to pull for a thing like this, even if it's only for foreign rights.

Naming it "Afrostream" is, marketing wise, backwards (even if you focus on showing all or mostly black material, why limit the audience that watches it with a name that basically says "this is only for us"?).

And moreover, I'm against the fragmentation of streaming services in general. I can't afford to pay for this streaming service and that streaming service to see different content.

Those other services are never gonna give the same access or exposure to black content that they do to mainstream content. And there's plenty of content worldwide. You don't really think you've seen or heard of all the good black content do you? This also give black creators easy distribution -- Spike may not have to raise so much money next time.

>Those other services are never gonna give the same access or
>exposure to black content that they do to mainstream content.

Netflix puts everything up into the same bin - cheap black movies, expensive black movies, old show, new shows -whatever the content providers are willing to license to it. Everything is searchable by the same algorithms. Hulu is the same. I'm not sure what you're talking about.

>And there's plenty of content worldwide. You don't really
>think you've seen or heard of all the good black content do
>you? This also give black creators easy distribution -- Spike
>may not have to raise so much money next time.

Subscription streaming services aren't really the best place to debut feature films. And again, I don't need a separate "BlackFlix" by any means.

Indie black films? Whens the last time you saw a black tv show created outside the US?

I've been to Hulu and that shit is white as andy griffith and basic. They don't even show what IFC and Sundance show.

LOL you on your non segregation kick again. I'll reiterate. Black channels already exist. White Channels already exist. White-centered streaming exists, Black centered streaming doesn't. You sound like an old dude screaming that netflix is unnecessary cuz we have so many cable channels.

Again, you don't really think you are awy of all the quality black content do you? Because it's not on netflix or hulu does not mean it does not exist. The same way net flix and hulu are investing in original programming a black service can do the same thing -- Only with black people it is desperately needed.


Subscriptions services are the future of features and exclusive content.

>Indie black films? Whens the last time you saw a black tv
>show created outside the US?
>
>I've been to Hulu and that shit is white as andy griffith and
>basic. They don't even show what IFC and Sundance show.

That's an issue to take up with the companies that own the content, not Netflix and Hulu. They've got all levels of quality material; if you package and offer it, they'll probably pay for it and take it. It seems far more cost prohibitive to attempt to launch and maintain a separate streaming service.
>
>LOL you on your non segregation kick again. I'll reiterate.
>Black channels already exist. White Channels already exist.
>White-centered streaming exists, Black centered streaming
>doesn't. You sound like an old dude screaming that netflix is
>unnecessary cuz we have so many cable channels.

No, I sound like someone who was hoping separated channels for content would go the way of the dinosaur. Otherwise, you'll be paying multiple $15/month bills just to be able to see everything you want to see, because it will be spread out across multiple resources.

Creating a separate streaming service is less like creating BET and more like creating a Black version of DirecTV - it's an entirely different service you have to pay separately for.
>
>Again, you don't really think you are awy of all the quality
>black content do you? Because it's not on netflix or hulu does
>not mean it does not exist. The same way net flix and hulu are
>investing in original programming a black service can do the
>same thing -- Only with black people it is desperately needed.

I'd like to see what sort of prices they'll be able to pay for original content. I'd also like to see what the contracts look like for international distribution, considering that's still a major issue with the large studio (i.e. who owns the rights to what in which territory, which is why Netflix's offerings are different in different countries).

As a content provider, I want to be able to take my product where I'll get the best price and the best market for it. A streaming service that _only_ caters to black people isn't going to be able to compete with Netflix, and I'm shooting myself in the foot exposure-wise by trying to deal with a service catering to that limited of an audience that _also_ requires an extra outlay of money per month.

You make it sound as if Netflix doesn't take independent black product. There is a large, LARGE number of indie American black films currently streaming on Netflix. Now ,if the story was "we presented our product to Netflix and they did not want to give us a fair deal," I could understand, but I'm not reading any of that here.

I don't give a shit about your "ha ha look at you and your anti-segregation angle again". We don't need a separate "black" version of everything just because. It would make better sense to band together form a distribution company large enough and stable enough to manage international rights for the films or shows and place them where people can see them.
>
>
>
>Subscriptions services are the future of features and
>exclusive content.
>
But we don't need multiples of them splintering content availability.

myth.

It's a symptom of casual racism in the larger foreign markets, as well as the tendency of many American "black films" (and comedies in general) being written almost exclusively for American black audiences, full of jokes and situations that do not travel.

As it is, action films, fantasy films, and animated films are the American product that does the best overseas. Of those three genres, action movies are the most likely to feature black characters, but there are scant few action movies made with black actors as-is.

-euro and asian box offices only
-must clear XYZ revenue to declare profitability/success


digital content available to a hundred million blk folk globally is a very different model

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

>-euro and asian box offices only
>-must clear XYZ revenue to declare profitability/success

That's how _all_ movie making is seen. It's a business. You go into business to make money.

>
>
>digital content available to a hundred million blk folk
>globally is a very different model

I'll take the wait and see approach. Why would anyone pay extra for an exclusive black service when, in most territories, they can get gobs of black entertainment from Netflix itself?

It would make better sense for foreign black filmmakers to band together and sell their syndication and streaming rights as a unit to the larger providers, which will allow them better access without asking people to pay for more services.

>>-euro and asian box offices only
>>-must clear XYZ revenue to declare profitability/success
>
>That's how _all_ movie making is seen. It's a business. You go
>into business to make money.
>

absolutely not. thats a six majors+subsidiaries, giant capitalist conglomerate profit vs losses bottom line approach to film. luckily the rest of the world has stories to tell as well


>>
>>
>>digital content available to a hundred million blk folk
>>globally is a very different model
>
>I'll take the wait and see approach. Why would anyone pay
>extra for an exclusive black service when, in most
>territories, they can get gobs of black entertainment from
>Netflix itself?

mostly true here. all ive seen as differentiation so far is the subtitling option to make content more accessible across markets

and i guess more "home grown" curating

then again, i dont know if netflix is available in most of say africa or south america

>It would make better sense for foreign black filmmakers to
>band together and sell their syndication and streaming rights
>as a unit to the larger providers, which will allow them
>better access without asking people to pay for more services.

difference is, the #s on this service would be n target users who are explicitly interested in this content

vs netflix n*1000 users, who may or may not be interested, so netflix has all the bargaining power

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

>>>-euro and asian box offices only
>>>-must clear XYZ revenue to declare profitability/success
>>
>>That's how _all_ movie making is seen. It's a business. You
>go
>>into business to make money.
>>
>
>absolutely not. thats a six majors+subsidiaries, giant
>capitalist conglomerate profit vs losses bottom line approach
>to film. luckily the rest of the world has stories to tell as
>well

That's also the indie approach to film to. Everything costs a certain amount of money, and a filmmaker is 8 times out of 10 going to have outside investors (even the major studios). For every passionate dreamer yearning to pour their heart in soul into their "pet project", there's a business partner who has to find ways to realistically make that shit happen.

People don't just make movies because they have "stories to tell"; they make movies because they have _compelling_ stories to tell that they believe X amount of people will see in order for their film to at least make its costs back. Otherwise, they're going to end up in debt very, very soon, with some angry investors - and this happens all the time, even with films people think will work.

>>>
>>>digital content available to a hundred million blk folk
>>>globally is a very different model

Netflix only has 48 million subscribers worldwide in 40 countries. And unless you're only streaming the content on YouTube or some amatuer video service, you're still dealing with issues of cost and revenue (how much will the streaming service pay us to make this movie/these episodes vs. our cost per episode).

>>
>>I'll take the wait and see approach. Why would anyone pay
>>extra for an exclusive black service when, in most
>>territories, they can get gobs of black entertainment from
>>Netflix itself?
>
>mostly true here. all ive seen as differentiation so far is
>the subtitling option to make content more accessible across
>markets
>
>and i guess more "home grown" curating
>
>then again, i dont know if netflix is available in most of say
>africa or south america

Netflix already has multi-language subtitling and closed-captioning options, and support for multi-language audio tracks.

Netflix is not yet available in Africa - or Asia or Australia. They are available in all of South America and the Caribbean. Hulu is only available in the US and Japan.

It would be more profitable to simply make a home-grown version of Netflix or Hulu for Africa that will run all the shows/movies that it can get, not just the black ones, rather than trying to make an international service (which, if it is taking Netflix and Hulu this long to expand, will take a smaller company even longer) that only runs black related media.

>
>>It would make better sense for foreign black filmmakers to
>>band together and sell their syndication and streaming
>rights
>>as a unit to the larger providers, which will allow them
>>better access without asking people to pay for more
>services.
>
>difference is, the #s on this service would be n target users
>who are explicitly interested in this content
>
Are they interested _only_ in this content to the point that they'll either only pay for this service or pay double/triple to get all of the streaming content?

>vs netflix n*1000 users, who may or may not be interested, so
>netflix has all the bargaining power

This would presume few black people watch Netflix, or that Netflix (of all companies) doesn't understand market specialization.

>
>That's also the indie approach to film to. Everything costs a
>certain amount of money, and a filmmaker is 8 times out of 10
>going to have outside investors (even the major studios). For
>every passionate dreamer yearning to pour their heart in soul
>into their "pet project", there's a business partner who has
>to find ways to realistically make that shit happen.
>
>People don't just make movies because they have "stories to
>tell"; they make movies because they have _compelling_ stories
>to tell that they believe X amount of people will see in order
>for their film to at least make its costs back. Otherwise,
>they're going to end up in debt very, very soon, with some
>angry investors - and this happens all the time, even with
>films people think will work.
>

All well & good, but the original claim was that american blk films don't do well overseas

The point is that that's a very biased, limited view, in the context of blk film audiences & story lovers worldwide

The Numbers on bootlegged blk films in Africa are no doubt huge


>>>>
>>>>digital content available to a hundred million blk folk
>>>>globally is a very different model
>
>Netflix only has 48 million subscribers worldwide in 40
>countries. And unless you're only streaming the content on
>YouTube or some amatuer video service, you're still dealing
>with issues of cost and revenue (how much will the streaming
>service pay us to make this movie/these episodes vs. our cost
>per episode).



>
>Netflix is not yet available in Africa - or Asia or Australia

There it is

>>
>Are they interested _only_ in this content to the point that
>they'll either only pay for this service or pay double/triple
>to get all of the streaming content?

Well according to the okp poll results, no. But these are the same ppl that buy $900 vacuum cleaners

>
>>vs netflix n*1000 users, who may or may not be interested,
>so
>>netflix has all the bargaining power
>
>This would presume few black people watch Netflix, or that
>Netflix (of all companies) doesn't understand market
>specialization.

Na, just that theyve positioned themselves to where they may or may not give u a fair price for content

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

>
>All well & good, but the original claim was that american blk
>films don't do well overseas
>
>The point is that that's a very biased, limited view, in the
>context of blk film audiences & story lovers worldwide
>
>The Numbers on bootlegged blk films in Africa are no doubt
>huge

Black films doing poorly overseas (that is, as related to ticket sales and unit sales; a studio could give less than a fuck if you're a "story lover" if you didn't pay money in so e way or sit through ads to see the movie) is a statistical fact. WHY they do poorly overseas is a conflation of several factors, some of which are arguable.(limited international releases, choices of the wrong territories, poor promotion, American-centric content)


I would have numbers run before presuming any of that. How many are watching and how many would pay money to see those films were they released legitimately.
>
>
>>>>>
>>>>>digital content available to a hundred million blk folk
>>>>>globally is a very different model
>>
>>Netflix only has 48 million subscribers worldwide in 40
>>countries. And unless you're only streaming the content on
>>YouTube or some amatuer video service, you're still dealing
>>with issues of cost and revenue (how much will the streaming
>>service pay us to make this movie/these episodes vs. our
>cost
>>per episode).
>
>
>
>>
>>Netflix is not yet available in Africa - or Asia or
>Australia
>
>There it is
>
>>>
>>Are they interested _only_ in this content to the point that
>>they'll either only pay for this service or pay
>double/triple
>>to get all of the streaming content?
>
>Well according to the okp poll results, no. But these are the
>same ppl that buy $900 vacuum cleaners

This is an issue with streaming fragmentation in general.
>
>>
>>>vs netflix n*1000 users, who may or may not be interested,
>>so
>>>netflix has all the bargaining power
>>
>>This would presume few black people watch Netflix, or that
>>Netflix (of all companies) doesn't understand market
>>specialization.
>
>Na, just that theyve positioned themselves to where they may
>or may not give u a fair price for content

Have the people involved in this proposed service been involved in submitting films to Netflix and getting lowballed? Their ad makes it sounds like they want to market primarily American black films (I.e., Hollywood properties they do not own) primarily to Afro-French customers
>

----------------------------------
I have a webcomic: www.watchthecomic.com

My webcomic has a page: www.facebook.com/watchyourheadcomic

I throw $8 a month at Netflix just so I know I have it, honestly. I either binge or ignore it completely.

I'd happily go in for $1.

http://en.afrostream.tv/

...which has an internet form for interested filmmakers to submit their films.

A generic "Contact Us" page would be better. This makes it look sketchy.

just get them a bunch of random messages not having shit to do with what they want to be contacted for?
i don't see how having it set up the way they do makes it seem sketchy

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

random people putting in entries.

Just the way the form is put together (several of the fields aren't big enough for the content that should go into them) makes it look suspect.

The _best_ solution would be to just provide the contact info for the office of whoever is in charge of negotiating content licenses. Getting a film on Netflix or Hulu requires retaining an agent or using a distribution company to make the deal, because there are going to be contract negotiations and those conversations should begin and end with lawyers and people paid to do that sort of thing handling it to ensure a smooth process.

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

It is, however, multiple issues:
1. The splintering of streaming services. Middle class peopel in America don't want ot have to pay $7 to $10 a pop for seperate service. Why would people in other countries want ot do the same.

2. Only focusing on black films vs either makign a service for African countries that can stream everything (and therefore try to undercut Netflix before it makes it to Africa) or instead founding a distribution service that will help get black films and shows on Netflix and Hulu by going through the proper channels

3. Where are they going to get content of high enough quality/prestige to run? Their own presentation promo seems to supposit that they're going to run popular American black media in addition to international stuff. The American stuff is more likely to be licensed in France to Netflix, and even if it isn't, I'm not sure the companies that own much that material will want to sell it to a smaller company that will pay them less for it. That being said, "Good Times" is on Crackle, so anything is possible.

3a. Unless they plan on heavily focusing on micro-budget (read: amateur) product, international distribution rights to stream movies and TV are complicated deals that will require offering separate services to each country based on what they can and cannot stream. That's part of the reason already why there aren't that many foreign films of any kind on Netflix or Hulu in relation to domestic American product.

4. None of these will solve the issue of illegal downloading and bootlegging that the website itself claims to want to curtail.

and did not change my mind.

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

------------------------------------
2019 CABG Survivor

2016 OK Survivor Champion

be about it or be without it

RIP GOATs

And I don't give a fuck about changing your mind, no offense.

I'm not opposed to indie black filmmakers putting their films on a steaming service to reach an international audience. I am opposed to doing so with a seperate service, for a multitude of reasons you've already add clear you don't want to have an intelligent conversation about.

Netflix and Hulu already exist. So do iTunes and YouTube. Use them. That's what they're there for. If they try to give you a shit deal, that's what lawsuits are for.

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

yea

Let me sport my Air Hyperbole 2010s in peace. (c) ansomble

Building repetoires (c) spm since 1983

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

u found that in all 21 of my words and 213 characters...kudos

Let me sport my Air Hyperbole 2010s in peace. (c) ansomble

Building repetoires (c) spm since 1983

i'm out.
_____________________
"WHOLESALE REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS!!"
@etfp

No, I did _not_ take too kindly to that. Not at all.

Especially since I made the mistake of trying to approach this conversation with the erroneous idea that my professional opinion would be at least acknowledged rather than ridiculed.

...

www.royallegacy.org
http://therapfest.com/up-next-artists/

but I guess I hate myself for attempting efficiency, so yea...

__________________
boys to the yard

Just curious. No darts

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

and via a simple search I have access to all the B/black movies I want...
yeah..
this dumb.

it'd be far more productive to just gather the black film groups and sell licensing rights for netflix to stream...

and/or undercut netflix in those regions netflix doesn't serve

reinventing that particular wheel and trying to make it even more channeled is counter-productive

Let me sport my Air Hyperbole 2010s in peace. (c) ansomble

Building repetoires (c) spm since 1983

i'm out.
_____________________
"WHOLESALE REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS!!"
@etfp

indie films from other countries IS distribution rights, not just internet access to the films, which is several steps down the line in the process.

A lot of movies don't cross borders because the people who own them cannot afford to legally license them so that they can be exhibited in other territories (taking care of any issues with taxes, tariffs, laws regarding theatrical, television, or digital distribution, etc.).

It's not so simple as "here, let's take these movies and put them on the Internet because we know Netflix won't run them!"

But what do I know? I hate myself.

2 week free trial, https://urbanmoviechannel.com/

TheWrap: What prompted you to launch Urban Movie Channel?
Robert Johnson: We recognized that there’s a need for content that appeals directly to African-Americans. I recognize that there’s a tremendous amount of talent within the urban African-American community that is looking to tell their creative, provocative story and are looking for a financial model that will allow them to tell those stories and to make a profit off of those stories that they want to tell. Then, the third thing is, I realize that just as cable and satellite were the pathway to get BET all around the country, today digital transmission and over-the-top streaming is the way to hook up the world.

What about people who say a streaming service geared toward African-Americans is not needed in this age of Netflix?
When I created BET, people would say the same thing, “We don’t have white entertainment television; why do you need Black Entertainment Television? You can watch shows on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox.” The reason you want this is because this is a nation of diverse people and a nation of diverse cultures, and people always want to have access to diversity, particularly the kind of diversity that appeals directly to their viewing interests. With the Internet and indeed with cable, you can offer people whatever they want to see over digital without depriving any other audience of their programming. This is additive! It’s in no way detracting from what I call “the melting pot of diversity and content and creativity” that has made this country what it is.


More-
http://www.thewrap.com/bet-founder-bob-johnson-on-leap-from-cable-to-digital-with-urban-movie-channel/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=mailchimp

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

no thanks

------------------------------------
2019 CABG Survivor

2016 OK Survivor Champion

be about it or be without it

RIP GOATs

http://trapflix.com/

------------------------------

50+ FREE Mixes on www.DJR-Tistic.com!

Twitter and Instagram - @DJ_RTistic

all this does is spread things around more. i'm good...but then again i'm not on netflix either.

http://www.youtube.com/user/gumzization
twitter: @BrosefMalone

That's like 90% of all the movies and shows out there targeted to "blacks".

______________________________________

Everything looks like Oprah kissing Harvey Weinstein these days

That u can see anywhere else

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

and yes I am black

we keep it moving,

https://kweli.tv/#/join


We have to give a round of applause to DeShuna Spencer for creating kweliTV, (Kweli means truth in Swahili) an internet video streaming network specifically for the black consumer.

"We see as the bridge between a new crop of up and coming black filmmakers and our audience looking for great content," Spencer included in a press release.

The video streaming network has launched in beta, and will launch officially later this year. In its beta form, kweliTV will be free for one month and paid premium options will be discounted by half. There will be about 40 films to preview while in the beta form.

DeShuna Spencer is a graduate of Jackson State University. She is a social entrepreneur, journalist, and founding publisher of emPowermagazine.com

HEY FILMMAKERS! DeShuna is looking for movies and web shows to cast on kweliTV, interested filmmakers should apply here.

)))--####---###--(((

bunda
<-.-> ^_^ \^0^/
get busy living, or get busy dying.

really doubt competing websites would work at all.

I wouldn't say ratchet though just content that mostly doesn't interest me
And content I WOULD want access to I still wouldn't be able to see I suspect

Like what happened w that last act now fest MAD movies at sundance and TriBeCa film I wanted to see, black directors to boot wasn't t the fest
:/
~~~~
When you are born, you cry, and the world rejoices. Live so that when you die, you rejoice, and the world cries.
~~~~
You cannot hate people for their own good.

--

"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."

______________________________________

Everything looks like Oprah kissing Harvey Weinstein these days

.

__________________
boys to the yard