Consider this scenario: A platform has commissioned a new series seeking the broadest possible appeal for the teen demographic worldwide. As the final master English versions are completed, a producer suspects scenes involving heavy partying, drinking, and drug use may be too hedonistic for some Asian territories targeted for the upcoming release.
Without prior knowledge of the restrictions, the platform faces many phone calls and emails between industry contacts and regional partners to assess the situation within their planned release windows to address these concerns. This is a time-consuming but necessary process to avoid a negative market reception, despite significant efforts put into the marketing and positioning for the title's upcoming release.
The post-production period can take several months for major releases, and cost estimates can stretch up to 15% of the total allocated budget. Additionally, post-production is an inherently complex process sometimes with potentially more than 30% of the time spent on tedious tasks, repeated within several linear processes to create each local version release.
When releasing content without making necessary territory compliance edits, the platform and associated content creator entities risk controversial public reception and bad press, running afoul of regulators, and a much lower return on investment. Is there a better way to get these insights sooner, such as when an early edited version is ready? If so, stakeholders could align more efficiently on changes necessary to avoid higher than expected local age ratings or stricter content advisories.
To avoid mismanagement of this precious time and money, use Spherexgreenlight™.
Spherexgreenlight™ is a first-of-its-kind technology that enables companies to make their content culturally compliant in every market worldwide. By consistently utilizing Spherexgreenlight™, it is possible to identify how much contentious material is contained within its assets and obtain a risk assessment of how content will be perceived across 200+ countries and territories. This ability to see future obstacles within release plans reduces the risk of achieving less than optimal revenue results.
Spherexgreenlight™ accelerates the existing linear compliance editing process by allowing post-production teams to identify non-compliant events across all territories all at one time. For example, imitable acts such as heavy drinking in a party scene get edited at one time for those markets where this is an issue. Spherexgreenlight™ also identifies other markets where the same events will be problematic and identical edits will be required. The immediate net result of doing country versions concurrently within initial post-production cycles saves months of payroll and shaves off months of coordination review time, thus accelerating time-to-market. The longer-term benefit is a successful series launch, protection of the brand, and longevity of the relevance of the new show in the global marketplace.
The media and entertainment industry will continue to see unprecedented intense competition for local audiences in the years to come. Global success depends on understanding the cultural complexity and the local forces that influence international viewing. That includes cultural hot buttons, oversight & regulatory conditions alongside traditional operational supply chain considerations. Having this knowledge in the early stages of post-production is a substantial strategic advantage.
You can see Spherexgreenlight™ in action at NAB 2022 in Las Vegas, April 23-26, booth W8904.
