David Farnor | On 16, Dec 2014

Curzon World has signed a new deal with Wuaki.tv.

The agreement will see the UK indie and art house distributor’s titles added to the VOD service’s streaming line-up. Curzon World’s rights include three istribution labels – Curzon Film World Releasing, Artificial Eye and Chelsea Films – with their combined repertoire including Academy Award winning Best Foreign Language Film of the Year titles The Great Beauty and Amour, as well as Blue is the Warmest Colour (starring new “Bond girl” Léa Seydoux) and titles from renowned directors Lars Von Trier and Michael Haneke.

The partnership marks a conscious effort from the company to offer a growing range of international content – a move that intended to separate it from the VOD pack.

Indeed, many of the major UK streaming services are keen to secure smaller titles in their catalogue. Amazon Prime Instant Video has an agreement with Studiocanal, which has given them such films as The Double and The Illusionist, while Netflix has an ongoing deal with gay and lesbian specialists Peccadillo Pictures and documentary leaders Dogwoof. The BFI Player and Raindance Releasing, meanwhile, bot exist specifically fill that perceived void in the VOD market, and Curzon has its own Curzon Home Cinema streaming service.

Unlike Netflix and Amazon, Wuaki.tv’s pay-per-view arm means that it can secure titles from a range of distributors without having to fight for subscription exclusives. (The company has quietly discontinued its previous dual subscription and pay-per-view approach.) Earlier this year, for example, Wuaki.tv also penned a deal with Arrow Films.

“Adding such respected, award-winning titles to the catalogue is the latest example of how we’re making Wuaki.tv the single best destination for all movie lovers and fans,” comments Simon Homent, European Content Director at Wuaki.tv.
“We know we’ll always have users who want the latest Hollywood blockbuster releases, so we’ll always have them. That said, as more people get used to on-demand services, there’s an increasing number who want a wider choice on titles. The addition of award-winning international content will continue to set Wuaki.tv apart from those competitors who do not support local content as strongly as we do.”

Add to Watchlist