Ever wonder how Presto chooses which movies and shows to license for its content library, how they work with their partners to get the content you want to watch, and what their Original Programming plans are? Here at Streambly, we wondered the same, and took the opportunity to talk to Presto's Head of PR, Michael Morcos, to find some of these answers.
Australia's SVOD market is one of the most competitive in the world. Netflix may enjoy almost unchallenged superiority in other markets, but here in Australia, our local SVOD choices, Presto and Stan, have both taken a healthy share of the market. Presto, in particular, finds itself at a distinct advantage because it is owned by pay TV powerhouse Foxtel and ratings behemoth Channel Seven. But getting content loaded into the Presto streaming library is far more complicated than simply transferring the shows and movies already licensed or produced by Foxtel and Seven, according to Morcos.
"One of the advantages of Presto is that we are owned 50% by Channel 7, Australia's number one broadcaster, and by Foxtel, Australia's premium subscription platform. In terms of content, we actually license it all ourselves. We operate as a separate entity, despite being owned by the aforementioned shareholders," explained Morcos.
That isn't to say that being owned by Foxtel and Seven doesn't have its advantages when it comes to negotiating content.
"Some of the content comes via the relationship we have with Foxtel and Channel Seven - we might have exclusive windows on that content," says Morcos. For Foxtel exclusive shows like Wentworth and Love My Way, Morcos adds that "Presto is the exclusive SVOD home to many of these series, and that's purely down to our relationship with Foxtel."
Morcos also adds that while Presto has output deals with some of the same studios that provide movies to Foxtel, hence the often familiar list of additions between Presto and say Foxtel Anytime, Presto do have their own deals that brings movies not found on Foxtel. And despite there being some content overlap between Presto and its shareholder's own streaming products, Foxtel Anytime and PLUS7, Morcos contends that Presto stands alone as a product that gives existing Foxtel and Seven viewers a new way to consume their content, as well as engaging new viewers not yet reached by Foxtel and Seven’s impressive market penetration.
With all the content available to Presto to license, determining what to add goes beyond just looking at "anticipated performance", "licensing costs" and availability - Presto also loves hearing recommendations from subscribers. As Morcos explains, "We have a wishlist from our customers, and we endeavour to fill the service with these requested titles ... We have a community page that is very active and subscribers engage with our team members, and they tell us what they're watching, what they love and what they want to see. On top of that we have the usual platforms, Facebook, Twitter, where we engage with viewers on a daily basis. People are always sending us content recommendations that we do seriously consider."
With that said, subscribers can't request something that doesn't yet exist, and that's where Original Content comes in. Presto has already experimented with producing several original productions, the first of which was shot-form series created and starring Matilda Brown, Let's Talk About. Since then, Presto has worked with Channel Seven to produce a Home and Away special, with two more specials on the way as well.
"We have already released what we call a 'snackable' series, a short-form series called Let's Talk About, and it is an original production, exclusive to Presto. That was a kind of 'toe in the water' in terms of testing original content, and it proved really successful. On the back of that, we commissioned the Home and Away special event 'An Eye for An Eye', and it did phenomenally well also, breaking day one streaming records on Presto. We have already announced two more Home and Away specials as a result, which are standalone, meaning you could still enjoy it if you weren't a fan of the series, but still has plenty of references and 'Easter Eggs' for existing fans. These will form a trilogy, and the other two specials will be released later in the year," says Morcos.
"Home and Away is Australia's most watched drama and we have been lucky in being able to capitalise on the show's popularity and use the specials to introduce viewers to the SVOD platform, and reaching a new audience, or to engage with existing audiences in a different way."
But are there more Presto original productions coming to compete with Stan's Logie nominated 'No Activity', 'Plonk' and 'Wolf Creek', or to Netflix's ever growing list of international productions (nothing locally produced yet, but that may be coming too)? Morcos could not reveal any specific details, but did add that, "we are still working towards producing more original local content."
And when these are announced, you'll be the first to read all about it here on Streambly.
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