SHOWCASE: SPI Drives Digital Expansion

There are several lines of business propelling the engine of SPI International, and its digital assets have been in growth mode as of late. “The driving force behind SPI’s digital expansion is our commitment to offering premium content on all screens and devices to our audiences around the globe,” says Haymi Behar, CMO.

“We are catering to the ever-changing needs of the market and our audiences all over the world through innovative products and content solutions,” he continues. “As more and more viewers are turning to digital platforms to consume content at their leisure, we are working toward adding to our content offering and diversifying the ways in which we deliver our content, such as through SVOD, TVOD and AVOD with targeted marketing.”

SPI works with operators and platforms to enrich their content offering via different methods of content delivery, and the company has also been working on its own stand-alone digital products, namely FilmBox+, which launched globally earlier this year, and the Dizi app, which launches this month worldwide.

The FilmBox+ streaming service, which reaches over 1 million subscribers globally, is an evolution of its FilmBox Live service. “FilmBox+ operates on a new infrastructure that provides enhanced user experience through an easy-to-use interface, multiple-screen availability and a specially curated lineup of content spanning movies, TV series, documentaries and much more,” says Behar. “FilmBox+ combines the lean-back and lean-forward viewing experiences through a vast collection of VOD content and live channels offered in 12 languages and localization options, accompanied by strong marketing tools to deliver premium content to audiences.” New language options are coming soon.

The Dizi app is positioned as the “Home of Good Stories,” and it is the ultimate destination for Turkish series enthusiasts worldwide. Some 400 hours of content from 14 critically acclaimed Turkish series will be available at launch, with more episodes added monthly featuring English, Polish and Spanish localized interfaces and 13 language options. The Dizi app builds on the success of the Timeless Dizi Channel, which launched in April 2019 and reaches 50 countries worldwide—and counting.

The ad-supported digital channel Filmstream launched in the U.K. and Australia last year with Samsung Electronics’ free streaming service, Samsung TV Plus. Samsung TV Plus soon thereafter brought Filmstream to India and, more recently, to the Netherlands along with the ad-supported documentary channel Docustream. Filmstream also launched in 42 European countries with Rakuten TV earlier this year.

“Designed with an agile mindset that embodies a focus on the consumer, SPI’s customizable portfolio of content solutions aims to make quality content accessible on all available screens at all times through stand-alone products, key alliances with major platforms and content aggregators,” says Behar.

SPI has been expanding its digital business and becoming a key aggregator for digital platforms such as Amazon, IMDb TV, Samsung TV Plus, Pluto TV, Plex, Rakuten and more, bringing 20,000-plus hours of content through SVOD, TVOD and AVOD models. The plan for this fall is to roll out its ad-supported digital channels such as Filmstream and Docustream with more platforms in the U.S. and Latin America.

“In addition to our 42 linear channels that reach millions of viewers globally through our 700-plus operator partners, we deliver hundreds of hours of on-demand content monthly to operators to enhance their subscribers’ viewing experience. We also support them in joint marketing activities, growing audience engagement with 360-degree campaigns and our content,” Behar notes.

SPI is home to a large bouquet of ad-supported digital channels that broadcast content ranging from independent world cinema movies to gaming, fashion and documentary programming available via platforms such as Plex, KlowdTV, Local Now, TCL, Littlstar, SelectTV in the U.S.

“We believe in a future where entertainment experiences converge and co-exist, pushing viewers to look for more stimulating ways to discover quality content,” Behar says. “In this future, SPI’s ‘Home of Great Entertainment’ will complement the service offerings and entertainment bundles of key aggregators by providing additional windows of premium content curation to enrich user experience and optimize the discovery of quality programming through joint marketing activities with partner platforms.”

Expanding its digital business and strengthening existing relationships with partners is the top priority for the company in the coming months. “We are focusing on the integration of our new and improved SPI digital products with more operators and platforms worldwide while continuing our content acquisition to make sure that we are always delivering a good curation of content through our products,” says Behar. “Drawing from my 15-plus years of experience in entertainment and marketing, I strongly believe that establishing tangible connections with both our partners and viewers is key to gaining insight on market trends and client expectations. At SPI, we incorporate our clients’ needs with data-driven insights regarding viewing trends to create relevant marketing campaigns that will boost viewership and resonate with audiences.” 

“At SPI, we pride ourselves on being the Home of Great Entertainment, and we will continue to work toward upholding our promise to bring top-quality programming across all genres to our audiences worldwide. In line with this promise, we are looking forward to strengthening our relationships with major content providers, expanding our portfolio with a diverse slate of fresh content, upgrading our digital services and products by utilizing the latest cutting-edge technologies and entering new partnerships to provide our audiences with a 360-degree entertainment experience.”