It's a challenging but manageable process if you know how
Imagine this scenario. You're a small production company, and you've just spent the last couple of years developing a series you're confident has international reach. Produced in the US in English, the story is an engaging drama, although a little edgy, with serious and comedic moments. The cast includes a broad mix of characters that reflect modern communities. Your lead character is a bisexual woman of color played by an up-and-coming actress who isn't yet a household name. The rest of the characters are a mix of adults, seniors, and children spanning many ages, races, identities, and religions. In each episode, renowned actors and actresses are cast as protagonists to attract viewers. Cultures typically portrayed as "the bad guys" are depicted positively.
Because it's a drama, some scenes include adult language, depictions of drug use, gun violence, physical abuse, harassment, and romantic and sexual situations. These events aren't gratuitous, but some people may find them disturbing. Parents will want to be alerted as certain storylines are unsuitable for children.
The production and cast are constructed purposefully: to reflect real life while respecting cultures and beliefs. The stories and actions aren't overly sensational but realistic. Your limited audience testing indicates viewers are connecting with the cast and stories and audiences continue to discuss episodes long after they've ended. It's the kind of reaction producers and directors dream of getting. Now comes the fun part.
Global Distribution Challenges
Producers must address several challenges before a title is ready for international distribution (not including finding a distributor). For example, which markets should you target first? How will different cultures react to your cast and characters? How can you ensure audiences won't be offended by mistranslation or cultural misrepresentation? How do you identify countries that accept "controversial" stories and those that may request or require edits or cuts?
We've written about the challenges encountered with titles like "Squid Game," the last five MCU titles, Disney's "Lightyear," and others while trying to get released in other countries. It's easy to imagine how our hypothetical series above would run into many of the same issues those titles have. The question then becomes, how do smaller companies with controversial stories or casts navigate regulatory concerns so they can be released and enjoyed by audiences?
Finding The Answers
Established studios and producers have a process for managing global title distribution, but many smaller or new companies do not. The good news for those firms is there are tools available today to guide you down the correct path. Best of all, you don't have to spend a lot of cash hiring consultants to help you navigate the process of bringing your titles to market. It is possible to economically develop a viable strategy of country selection, risk identification and mitigation, localization, and create an achievable release timeline.
Services such as Spherexratings™ and Spherexgreenlight™ are expert-in-the-loop AI/ML services that analyze your final cut once and provide the market and content intelligence you need to identify the best markets for your titles. This market-proven technology has helped some of the world's largest content creators and distributors with millions of titles reach new markets more quickly, effectively, and without regulatory risk. Soon, you'll be able to do it yourself from your desktop.
Contact Spherex today and learn how you can share your content with the world!
