Accelerate Post-Production Compliance Editing with Spherexgreenlight

Consider this scenario: A platform has commissioned a new series seeking the broadest possible appeal for the teen demographic worldwide. As the final master English versions are completed, a producer suspects scenes involving heavy partying, drinking, and drug use may be too hedonistic for some Asian territories targeted for the upcoming release.

Without prior knowledge of the restrictions, the platform faces many phone calls and emails between industry contacts and regional partners to assess the situation within their planned release windows to address these concerns. This is a time-consuming but necessary process to avoid a negative market reception, despite significant efforts put into the marketing and positioning for the title's upcoming release.

The post-production period can take several months for major releases, and cost estimates can stretch up to 15% of the total allocated budget. Additionally, post-production is an inherently complex process sometimes with potentially more than 30% of the time spent on tedious tasks, repeated within several linear processes to create each local version release.

When releasing content without making necessary territory compliance edits, the platform and associated content creator entities risk controversial public reception and bad press, running afoul of regulators, and a much lower return on investment. Is there a better way to get these insights sooner, such as when an early edited version is ready? If so, stakeholders could align more efficiently on changes necessary to avoid higher than expected local age ratings or stricter content advisories.

To avoid mismanagement of this precious time and money, use Spherexgreenlight™.

Spherexgreenlight™ is a first-of-its-kind technology that enables companies to make their content culturally compliant in every market worldwide. By consistently utilizing Spherexgreenlight™, it is possible to identify how much contentious material is contained within its assets and obtain a risk assessment of how content will be perceived across 200+ countries and territories. This ability to see future obstacles within release plans reduces the risk of achieving less than optimal revenue results.

Spherexgreenlight™ accelerates the existing linear compliance editing process by allowing post-production teams to identify non-compliant events across all territories all at one time. For example, imitable acts such as heavy drinking in a party scene get edited at one time for those markets where this is an issue. Spherexgreenlight™ also identifies other markets where the same events will be problematic and identical edits will be required. The immediate net result of doing country versions concurrently within initial post-production cycles saves months of payroll and shaves off months of coordination review time, thus accelerating time-to-market. The longer-term benefit is a successful series launch, protection of the brand, and longevity of the relevance of the new show in the global marketplace.

The media and entertainment industry will continue to see unprecedented intense competition for local audiences in the years to come. Global success depends on understanding the cultural complexity and the local forces that influence international viewing. That includes cultural hot buttons, oversight & regulatory conditions alongside traditional operational supply chain considerations. Having this knowledge in the early stages of post-production is a substantial strategic advantage.

You can see Spherexgreenlight™ in action at NAB 2022 in Las Vegas, April 23-26, booth W8904.

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Spherex Classification Tool Now Approved for Home Entertainment Content in Australia

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The Albanese Government has updated the Spherex Classification Tool approval to include ratings for theatrical releases, home entertainment, and streaming content in Australia. Spherex was previously approved to classify online films.

The update underscores the Australian Classification Board’s confidence in Spherex as a tool to help Australian viewers make informed choices about the content they consume. This means Australians can now access a range of new films sooner than they might across all formats and windows.

Spherex has a longstanding relationship with the Australian Classification Board. Since 2020, Spherex has collaborated closely with the Australian Government to ensure its technology reliably generates classification decisions that meet Australian standards and viewers' expectations.

As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

Discover how Spherex's cutting-edge AI-based platform can streamline your content classification process and enhance your market reach while reducing costs.

Visit spherex.com today and see how we can support your content distribution needs.

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nScreenNoise - Interview Spherex: Avoiding the cultural dead zone

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One of the conundrums of streaming is that although a service can deliver content globally, it is not guaranteed to be acceptable in a particular local market. Netflix found this out when it announced global availability in 2016 at CES and was quickly banned in markets like Indonesia, where some of the content was deemed too violent or sexual. In 2016, without boots on the ground in a local market, it wasn’t easy to assess whether a show or movie would be culturally acceptable.

Today, global media companies are acutely aware of the importance of their content’s cultural fit. Moreover, they have a company like Spherex to help them prepare their content to ensure it fits with any country of interest. I interviewed Teresa Phillips, the Co-Founder and CEO of Spherex, at the recent OTT.X Summit in Los Angeles. She explained how the company is leveraging AI and its massive cultural profiling database to help companies prepare content for target markets. She also explained how, in the near future, AI would aid the company in measuring a movie or show’s cultural distance from a regional market and help it avoid falling into the failure zone between cultural fit and novelty interest.

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Spherex Featured in the DPP's IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report

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Spherex was featured in the DPP’s IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report, a comprehensive look at how the M&E industry is meeting key customer demands. The report focuses on the topics of empowering creators, understanding audiences, engaging users, and innovating the newsroom. It also highlights many of the technical innovations seen at the recent IBC Show.

An article by Spherex’s CEO Teresa Phillips titled "Navigating Cultural Resonance in Global Media: The Art and Science of Culture Mixing" was featured in the report, exploring how Spherex is pioneering the future of culturally informed content.

Teresa shares how cultural mixing has become a critical strategy for creating content that appeals to diverse audiences in today's global media landscape. This phenomenon involves blending elements from different cultures to craft films and television shows that resonate globally while adhering to local regulations.

However, the process of culture mixing is fraught with risks. Superficial or stereotypical representations can lead to accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity, alienating audiences and damaging a company's reputation. For example, imposing Western concepts on Eastern content without proper context can feel inauthentic and jarring to local viewers. These missteps highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of cultural elements to ensure that content is respectful and engaging.

To address these challenges, M&E companies are increasingly turning to data-driven solutions. Platforms like SpherexAI utilize artificial intelligence to analyze visual, audio, and textual elements, providing insights into how well content aligns with cultural and regulatory standards across over 200 countries and territories. This approach helps media companies understand the "cultural distance" between a title's origin and its target market, enabling them to make informed decisions about global distribution.

By leveraging these advanced tools, M&E companies can go beyond traditional content localization. They can create media that actively engages and resonates with diverse audiences. As the industry continues to evolve, those companies that embrace culturally informed, data-driven approaches will be better positioned to succeed, fostering cross-cultural understanding and trust while delivering globally appealing content.

Download the report here.

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