Independent Television Service (ITVS) is partnering with Kanopy on a distribution program intended to help independent filmmakers close production funding gaps while expanding access to their documentaries through libraries and universities.
Under the arrangement, Kanopy will license educational and public library streaming rights directly from filmmakers involved in ITVS co-productions. Filmmakers will receive a minimum guarantee that ITVS says will be assessed to reflect the fair market value of those rights.
The companies are positioning the presale model as a way to provide filmmakers with additional funding during the final stages of production. ITVS said approximately 75 percent of its co-productions have historically faced funding gaps during the finishing stage.
The partnership comes as ITVS navigates changes in public media funding and looks for additional revenue sources for its production partners.
“This partnership with Kanopy is a vital opportunity to continue to innovate our distribution model, and secure new paths to revenue for our filmmakers’ work, while expanding the reach of these critical documentaries made in the public interest,” Lindsey Hodgson, the Director of Distribution at ITVS, said in a statement this week.
The arrangement is expected to broaden distribution for ITVS productions, including documentaries associated with its PBS series “Independent Lens.” ITVS said 28 percent of projects it funded over the past decade have been included in Kanopy’s catalog.
Co-production partners will retain their educational and public library streaming rights, allowing them to pursue licensing opportunities under the new arrangement.
Kanopy provides an ad-free streaming service through participating public libraries, colleges and universities. Its catalog includes more than 30,000 films from independent filmmakers and distributors.
OverDrive acquired Kanopy in 2021, adding the streaming service to its existing business supplying digital books and audiobooks to libraries and educational institutions.
