Worldwide, 71 countries criminalize same-sex behavior. Eleven can and do legally put people to death for participating in same-sex acts, and 15 more criminalize transgender, cross-dressing, and impersonation. Those countries include sizable Media and Entertainment (M&E) markets. These regulations are challenging for the creators of LGBTQ+ content who want to release it internationally. How do they balance the tension of complying with local regulations and their desire to reach audiences who may enjoy their work and make money? How do they navigate evolving public sentiment with rigid censorship requirements?

Pressure on content creators to ensure their productions are suitable for international markets is exponentially increasing. It began in earnest with the release of blockbuster films in the late 70s and 80s, where meeting global demand meant little more than subtitling or language dubs for three or four languages. Very few major films received the complete treatment of multiple language translations that movies and TV shows currently receive because the distribution chain wasn't what it is today, and costs were prohibitively expensive.

On June 11, 2021, Hong Kong’s government expanded its film regulations to more closely reflect mainland China’s censorship rules. The regulations, which went into effect immediately, were issued under the stated purpose of protecting “national security” and attempting to provide balance “between protection of individual rights and freedoms on the one hand, and the protection of such legitimate societal interests on the other.”

South Korean pop culture has never been more in demand--even making its way to the citizens of North Korea. But Kim Jong-un and his state media are cracking down on this "vicious cancer" he feels is perverting everything from " attire, hairstyles, speeches, behaviors " and, if not regulated, will corrupt North Korean youth.

Citing the growth of global content distribution opportunities, the Hollywood Reporter recently wrote about the increase in local-language film adaptation. The piece raises several important points we at Spherex have known for some time, e.g., how important culture is to content, how culture doesn't always translate well (if at all), yet when done properly can generate significant profits for the content owners. Rather than relying on traditional "subs and dubs" to export foreign content to consumers worldwide, production companies are starting to create local and culturalized versions of movies and tv shows to better align with consumer preferences.

During 2020’s lockdown, we all found ways of coping. For a growing number of people, Korean TV shows and films offer an enchanting escape from pandemic reality. Netflix has reportedly seen a “370% increase in viewership of Korean content in 2020” over the previous year, and this order of growth is expected to continue as lockdown restrictions ease. In 2017 there were only two Korean series, “White Nights” and “Man to Man”; now there are hundreds of K-Dramas available to viewers on Netflix, proving that the “Hallyu wave,” or rise in the popularity of Korean content, will continue to grow.

In our previous blog post, “ Worldwide Content Classification – How Hard Can It Be? ” we examined how the exponential growth of the OTT and VOD markets, along with the annual release of hundreds of thousands of new titles, places pressure on content regulators and platforms to obtain in-country age-ratings before release. In this post, we’ll explore what happens when content providers attempt to short-cut the process.

By 2025, eighteen years after Netflix became the first company to stream content into people’s homes, the expected global value of the Over-The-Top (OTT) market is expected to exceed $167B and reach two billion subscribers. These subscribers have access to hundreds of OTT and various flavors of Video-on-Demand (VOD) providers, serving dozens of countries and territories. While most enterprises focus on the sales value, they overlook what these two billion consumers are looking for – content.

The explosion of direct streaming and OTT services worldwide on a wide range of platforms e.g., online, mobile, and Connected TV (CTV)means content creator’s products have global potential. That means films, TV shows, documentaries, and live events can reach new markets and generate additional revenue for everyone in the production chain. The only challenge is it isn’t a simple process. The good news is Spherex offers a solution to assist creators in reaching those markets quickly, properly, and cost-effectively.