Nuno Bernardo • Producer, beActive Entertainment
“Digital distribution of film and TV programmes became more relevant than ever”
by Cineuropa
- We met up with Portuguese producer Nuno Bernardo, one of the experts of the 2020 edition of Erich Pommer Institut’s Digital Distribution workshop
Portugal’s Nuno Bernardo, managing director at beActive Entertainment, is one of the experts participating in the 2020 edition of Erich Pommer Institut’s “Digital Distribution - Maximizing Reach and Revenues” workshop (more information here). We met up with him to discuss the key points of the event.
Cineuropa: Why is the workshop Digital Distribution now more relevant than ever?
Nuno Bernardo: The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the entertainment industry, especially in the film business. For months, cinemas were closed, and even if some of them are now open, they run at limited capacity and schedules. The box office declined around the globe, and some of 2020's big releases were postponed to next year or were released on VoD, both on pay-per-view or the existing SVOD platforms. Because of these ongoing changes, digital distribution of film and TV programmes became more relevant than ever. There was never a more urgent need to find out the best practices to get your latest film, documentary or TV series out into this ever-changing world.
Who can benefit from participating in the workshop?
The workshop was designed with producers and creators in mind. Directors and producers of film, TV and documentary that want to find out how movies and series are being released these days, what expectations they can have regarding reach and revenues and find out about all the existing platforms that are looking for content. At the same time, anyone working in the marketing and distribution of TV and film will also benefit from the case studies that will be presented at the Digital Distribution workshop.
What is your outlook on the future of film and other audiovisual content?
Over the last six months, we’ve been seeing a significant shift on how movies are being distributed on a global basis, films of different budgets and scales. New business models are being experimented with, new revenues streams are being tested. Because of these new experiences, of this new approach, initially implemented by necessity due to the lack of cinemas to release product, I think we will never go back to the way business was at the end of 2019. VoD will take the lead in the distribution of movies, documentaries and series. Maybe even sports events in the future. This new paradigm will not mean the end of TV or cinema but traditional broadcasters and film distribution and exhibiting companies will need to adapt to this new world.
What will participants gain from the workshop?
The workshop and the line up of speakers has been organised in a way to present the most up to date information and real-world experiences from professionals that spent the last six months trying to develop new ways to distribute film, documentaries and television series and shows. I expect that participants will be able to learn from these experiences, told in the first person, and adapt some of the best practices that will be shared, in their own businesses and existing projects.
What makes you optimistic for the future of film and other audiovisual content?
The good news for producers is that, due to the increasing importance of the VoD, in a world where people are asked to stay at home, and outdoor entertainment offers are still limited, there’s a significant demand for product. And because all productions were halted last March, that means that the marketplace is becoming levelled: there’s an increasing demand and not enough new product being offer, something that is rare in our industry. This way, producers with new films, documentaries or series will be an advantageous position, if they find the right platforms that are looking for their products.
What were your challenges during the last months?
Just like everyone in the industry, we needed to shut down all activity last March, without knowing what to expect in the future. But over the months we adapted to this new world, not only licensing existing content, adopting remote production tools for ongoing TV shows and also defining what producing live-action in this day and age is – adopting all the security measures. It’s not perfect but we are all learning how to do it. These are the types of experiences that will be shared by speakers and other participants at Digital Distribution.
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.