Till now, Amazon Prime Video Direct (APVD) was the only mainstream service that accepts unsolicited film submissions. However, it seems that this strategy might change as a result of the new decision of the streaming giant. Amazon announced that it’s no longer accepting unsolicited licensing submissions via Prime Video Direct for non-fiction and short-form content.

Cleaning the independent shelves

It seems that the streaming “HERO” of the independent filmmakers has made a strategic decision regarding title filtration and reduction of unsoiled independent films. Although the marketing slogan on the Amazon Prime Video Direct website is “Helping studios, distributors, and independent filmmakers reach audiences worldwide”, the deletion of independent titles has begun two years ago, when hundreds of filmmakers have reported that their independent films have been deleted by Amazon Prime Video Direct and with no defined explanation nor warning. According to filmmakers, their films were taken down with no option to attempt to republish or appeal. “I was also never informed about them being taken down, Prime Video Direct never informs you when your films are down, they are just down until you notice it,” says one of those filmmakers. At that time, Amazon responded: “During a quality assurance review, we found that your titles contain content that does not meet our customer content quality expectations. This means a regular multi-factor review of the content we make available as Included with Prime and this may mean the removal of content that does not meet that bar from time to time. As a result, all offers for your titles that have been removed will not be made available as “Included with Prime” or to Buy/Rent on Amazon”.

Server issues (?)

According to resources, a possible reason for the deletion was insufficient server space. Amazon Prime Video Directs’ main ambition to conquer YouTube turned out to be pipe dreams, due to a badly designed algorithm that can’t handle the amount of data. Indeed, when comparing the number of movies available per dollar on each of the top five services, it’s clear that Prime Video wins by far (explore the slide below from Reelgood’s survey). Thus, a filtration process is needed, and this process concentrates on the delicate and fragile independent filmmaking industry.

“At this time, we’re no longer accepting unsolicited licensing submissions”

The ability to upload films directly to Amazon Prime Video Direct is a huge privilege, compared to other services that demand negotiating complex licensing deals. Unlike Netflix, Hulu and others, content isn’t acquired by Prime Video Direct; rights-holders submit their work and earn royalties based on revenue splits or customer-viewing over time (content providers receive 50% of net revenue). However, the party is over. As stated by Amazon: “Customers are our number one priority and our goal is to ensure all content published to Prime Video continues to meet the same high standards. We look for content that delights and engages our customers, improves our curated catalog, and elevates our service (this assessment varies over time and by country/region and offer type). At this time, we’re no longer accepting unsolicited licensing submissions via Prime Video Direct for non-fiction and short-form content. We’ll notify you if these categories become available for consideration.” Also, “Additional content categories that are no longer accepted via Prime Video Direct may include (but are not limited to) slide shows, vlogs, podcasts, tutorials, filmed conferences, monologues, toy play, music videos, and voiceover gameplay.”

At this time, we’re no longer accepting unsolicited licensing submissions via Prime Video Direct for non-fiction and short-form content…Additional content categories that are no longer accepted via Prime Video Direct may include (but are not limited to) slide shows, vlogs, podcasts, tutorials, filmed conferences, monologues, toy play, music videos, and voiceover gameplay.

Amazon

What’s next?

Amazon has been encouraging and supporting independent cinema, contrary to Hulu and Netflix. Nevertheless, it’s all belongs to the past. Over the last two years, Amazon has been reducing the number of independent productions, and now ceases to accept new titles. Amazon and other streaming services must understand, that independent filmmaking is the engine that drives our industry forward. Let’s hope that the decision will be reversed.