M+E Connections

Whip Media Debuts AI-Powered Content Marketplace Exchange

A new marketplace offering from enterprise software platform and entertainment data provider Whip Media aims to connect buyers and sellers using one centralised platform, streamlining the process of buying, selling and discovering content.

Debuting May 25, Whip Media Exchange uses both proprietary first-party data and AI-powered predictive analytics previously unavailable in the entertainment industry, the company said, with Exchange promising to not only ease headaches around the licensing process, but also forecast movie and TV content demand at both the territory and platform level.

Lionsgate is already on board with Exchange, providing premium content from its library, with indie distributor Giant Pictures and London-based Digital Media Distribution (DMD Ltd.) and its international indie arm Cindie Films also among the first companies to join the platform during its beta launch.

“The Exchange transforms the global film and TV buying and selling process to one where data and AI drive the experience and streamline content discovery, selection, and transactions,” said Whip Media CEO and founder Richard Rosenblatt. “Streaming has drastically changed the media landscape and we want to enable licensing to follow the same growth trend. With the launch of the Exchange, Whip Media uniquely provides data and technology to meet the evolving needs of buyers and sellers, along with the industry-leading platform that facilitates the entire content licensing process.”

Along with data-driven decision making to help buyers and sellers target the right platforms in the right regions for any specific title, Exchange offers seamless integration with content distribution and supply chain ecosystems, guaranteeing turn-key licensing at scale, Whip Media said. The service features a real-time rights dashboard that curates every available licensed title for buyers, covering windows, territories and platforms.

Jim Packer, president of worldwide TV and digital distribution for Lionsgate, said making sure its buyers are connected with the right titles for just the right distribution channels requires a “combination of art and science.”

“Whip Media Exchange’s data-driven platform helps our clients navigate our deep portfolio of films and television series and allows us to work with them to create the best content mix for their audiences in every territory,” he said.

Each title offered on the Exchange is given a “Demand Score,” based off Whip Media’s proprietary data, which draws from the viewership and engagement habits of 16 million-plus viewers from over 170 countries, covering approximately 4.5 million movie and TV episodes available on 1,100 platforms. That data-specific demand score makes the Exchange an efficient barometer of any given title’s performance, according to Sherry Brennan, EVP and GM of Whip Media Exchange.

“I’ve negotiated hundreds of content licensing deals in my previous roles at Cablevision and Fox, and I believe the Exchange will future-proof global content licensing as business models continue to evolve,” said Brennan, who joined  Whip Media earlier this year. “It’s the only platform bringing consumer insights and predictive analytics into the licensing decision-making process at scale, facilitating the discovery of content and creating efficiencies across the entire process.”

For more information about Whip Media Exchange, click here.