FilmFlex preparing for international expansion

Jeff Henry

FilmFlex, the white label movie streaming service, is eyeing international expansion and expects to sign deals outside the UK next year.

The company, which has deals in place with around 30 distributors, including the six Hollywood majors, became the first to launch a movie on demand service on the UK’s 4G network yesterday, via mobile operator EE. It also handles branded online movie services for cable operator Virgin Media, broadcaster Film4 and retailer HMV.

According to CEO Jeff Henry, while there is plenty of growth potential left in the UK online movie market, FilmFlex will look internationally for future growth. “We still think there will be great growth in the UK market and we will be targeting a maximum of another two partners in the UK,” he told DTVE. “The next step for us is to look internationally. We can port our platform onto the cloud and so international distribution is a fairly straightforward proposition. In 2013 we will have international territories – we are already pursuing those.”

Speaking about the deal with EE that sees FilmFlex operating the mobile operator’s movie streaming platform as well as managing services including movie reviews, recommendations and cinema offers, Henry said both companies will benefit from being first to market with a 4G offering.

“The 4G speeds mean the actual viewing experience is improved. More than that, the kind of functionality we have built for EE, like resumptive viewing that lets you watch a movie on one device and finish it on another, will give us a very compelling proposition. For EE, they have a competitive advantage for a period of time. It will be interesting to see how the service develops and what the consumer demand is like.”

FilmFlex has recorded over 75 million movie purchases since 2005 and claims to offer more new releases than iTunes, Netflix and Lovefilm. As well as expanding internationally, Henry said the company would consider offering TV series, games and e-books on its platform.

It is effectively a platform to deliver digital files,” he said. “We are still investigating that area for our business.”