What Are the Goals of the Independent Streaming Alliance? Members Discuss Organization’s Future
Strength in numbers seems to be the unifying principle of the Independent Streaming Alliance, whose formation was announced earlier this month. Representatives of the 10 founding members of the Alliance met in Denver this week for the 2023 StreamTV Show, and gave some fascinating insights as to why they decided to create the consortium.
The ISA is made up of Allen Media Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (CSSE) — which owns Redbox and Crackle — Cineverse, Future Today, kweliTV, Revry, Scripps, Tastemade, TMB (Trusted Media Brands), and Vevo. According to StreamTV Insider, members are looking forward to having an open forum for discussing issues that affect them all.
According to CSSE representative Darren Olive, the group is about “really helping the ad community and helping customers and consumers get what they want, which is great free and ad-supported content,” he said. “We want you to have a seat at the table to tell us where we’re going in the right direction, and frankly, where we may be going in the wrong direction in terms of what they need.”
Data measurement will be a key part of the ISA’s mission, which it says will help advertisers better target consumers, leading to an improved streaming experience for all concerned. The Alliance will also be beneficial for members negotiating new deals, though members say it’s not exactly open for business just yet.
Diversity and inclusion will be one of the key goals of the ISA. CEO and co-founder of the LGBTQ+-centric streaming service Revry Damian Pellicone said that was one of the biggest draws for them in terms of joining the new group.
“It’s really exciting because, at least from the perspective a minority-owned, certified, and operated business, it’s great to be partnered with such big companies and to be in that company that we have at the ISA,” they said. “So we can also be uplifted all together, and more powerful as a group.
“I think that having this type of alliance now, with all the independent streamers, none of us owned by one of the majors, allows us to start to come together as one organization and fight for our rights.”
It will be fascinating to see if the group manages to stick together. Many of these platforms aim to super-serve a niche audience, which is difficult for any streaming platform to accomplish. Free streaming services have an easier time of it since they have no subscription costs, but each still faces the challenge of efficiently monetizing users through advertisers.
A recent survey showed that free TV services were the only segment of the TV market that did not see a marked decline in use in 2022. As economic uncertainty continues, users will continue to utilize free streamers like those included in the ISA to fulfill their entertainment needs. The ISA is good for both content providers and customers, and if it sticks together it could create positive changes in the streaming industry.
Revry
Revry is the world’s first global queer streaming network. The service offers a uniquely curated selection of narrative and documentary films, cutting-edge series, groundbreaking podcasts, music albums and videos, and the most original queer-focused content in the world.