Financing / Crowdfunding

Do we think the rumors are true? https://san.com/cc/saudi-company-emerges-as-frontrunner-to-buy-warner-br...

Pact’s new UK TV Exports report reveals a major shift in the global content marketplace: sales of British TV to U.S. buyers surpassed $1B in 2024, marking the strongest year on record.

What’s especially notable is who is driving the boom.

While streamer spend on British content plateaued, traditional U.S. broadcast networks surged, accounting for half of all UK TV sales. The U.S. market now represents 40% of total British exports, with spend jumping 34% to reach £797M ($1.04B). Series like All Creatures Great and Small, Ludwig, and new pickups from BBC and ITV highlight how American networks are aggressively filling their pipelines with British storytelling.

Read the full article here: https://deadline.com/2025/11/american-networks-streamers-british-show-sa...

Some key takeaways from the report:

• U.S. networks outpaced streamers in buying British TV for the first time in years.

• Streamer acquisitions dipped across the board, even as their direct UK commissions grew.

• Other major territories—Australia, France, and Germany—also increased spend.

• Rising production costs and limited financing support are the industry’s biggest concerns moving forward.

Pact CEO John McVay notes that, despite economic pressure, “the strength and quality of library catalogues” continues to drive global demand.

For filmmakers, producers, and financiers, this raises a compelling question about where the market is heading: Do you see traditional networks becoming stronger partners for international content in the next few years, or will streamers reclaim the lead as strategies shift again?

"Now in its fifth year, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is investing €400,000 in funding that will support new innovative, high concept development and immersive storytelling projects within the creative screen industries. This scheme is run in partnership with Animation Ireland, with the support of Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet and Eirmersive. This year’s fund aims to encourage experimentation and prototyping, supporting projects across a wide range of genres and formats. The fund continues Screen Ireland’s ambition to highlight Ireland as a centre of excellence in innovation and investing in a diverse range of skills, talent, genres and formats, fuelled by artistry and storytelling. It is designed to allow the sector to explore new opportunities offered by emerging technologies, as well as support the development of IP and new, innovative ways of storytelling.

With the aim of encouraging experimentation and prototyping, Innovation development can include the preparation of new hybrid formats, introduction of new storytelling workflows, extending genre ambitions outside the current workflow, and targeting new areas of artistic and creative endeavour (such as Animation, Gaming & Immersive Technologies and new technologies) which the investment allows.

Producers and Industry Creatives may apply for a grant funding award of up to a maximum of €75,000 in total. The highest level of award will only be considered for applications with potential to raise commercial funding for the next stage of development, and demonstrable potential for sectoral benefit. It is anticipated that the majority of grant awards will be in the €25,000 - €50,000 range."

"I want to invest in movies, but I don't want to lose all my money." - Every Film investor Ever.

I'm opening a film fund, run like a hedge fund, but instead of investing directly into movies and hoping one hits, we invest fund profits into film projects, so no how the films perform, investors didn't lose their principal.

I left Merrill Lynch as an advisor in April 2025. Although I've been backtesting back to 2010 over the last several years and constantly developing the strategy, that was all on paper.

I now have 2 months of live trading for this purpose: positions closed in Sept returned 8.05%, positions closed in Oct returned 6.87%, we'll see how Nov pans out. The goal is 2-3% per month, or overall 20-30% per year. There will be months with negative returns, but it's doing better than expected so far.

I just want to gage interest from accredited investors and have them point out my blindspots. To help me see what I'm missing and to see if this is something they'd be interested in when launched.

The goal is to raise 3 funds of $100M each, which sounds like a lot, but in my old office at Merrill, one advisor/team had over $1.2B and another had over $4B. So, $300M is a lot, but it isn't that impressive in the world of finance.

Thanks,

Ryan

BullishFilmFund.com

Hi everyone,

I have a budgeting question for people who have worked on independent features or animated projects.

When you are planning a production budget, what do you usually base it on? I keep hearing different things. Some say digital platforms can cover most of the cost, but others say digital is more like visibility, and the real return comes from theatrical, TV deals, international sales, that kind of thing.

So I’m curious. Can digital platform revenue actually cover a films budget by itself? Or is it mostly a showcase and the real recoup comes from other distribution channels?

I know every project is different, but I’d like to hear how you look at it. Thanks for any insight.

I've often toyed with the thought of making my next drama feature in the UK or the EU. In 2018 my company developed and produced the romantic comedy Under the Eiffel Tower with the cities, towns and vineyards of France as our backdrop, and the experience was enlightening to say the least.

But even in the course of seven short years, the production and distribution landscape has changed dramatically. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages to America-based filmmakers taking their productions overseas? US and EU, Film Producer Christine Ahanotu writes in her newsletter Lifting The Curtain to, "Consider writing your script to capitalize on international agreements."

Check out her latest substack post (https://christineahanotu.substack.com/p/making-drama-films-has-gone-from) and tell me what are your thoughts about positioning your next project for overseas production in the comments below.

As Paramount Skydance is set to increase its content spend by $1.bn following its merger, Disney announced a $1bn increase to $24bn.

While much of the increase is dedicated to sports programming, streaming revenues are exploding this year, fueling demand for produced film and television production.

The overall good news to the trend is a return to growth in the production market following a several years of retrenchment which had dramatically harmed the entertainment sector.

Likewise, Paramount Skydance has announced plans to double theatrical output.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/disney-2026-con...

As you look ahead to your 2026 production slate, one of the most strategic things you can do right now is get familiar with the state tax incentive programs that could make or break your budget.

Film Independent shared a fantastic overview of current film and TV tax incentive opportunities across the U.S.: A Primer on State Tax Incentive Programs for Film & TV Production

Read it here: https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/a-primer-on-state-tax-incentive-pro...

From California’s expanded Program 4.0, which doubled its annual cap to $750 million and now includes refundable credits, to Texas and New York’s ramped-up incentives for independent projects, the landscape is shifting fast, and in filmmakers’ favor.

Projects like Brooklyn and Room were made possible through international tax credits, and more recent hits like Severance and the Superman reboot show how vital these programs remain for both indie and studio productions alike.

Whether you’re producing your first feature or scaling your slate, understanding how to combine soft money, local incentives, and private financing can dramatically reduce the capital you need to raise.

If you’re gearing up for production in 2026, where are you planning to shoot — and how are you factoring state or regional tax incentives into your financing strategy?

And if you’re exploring how to secure financing for your next project, don’t forget to check out Stage 32’s producing and financing education resources: https://www.stage32.com/education/collections/producing-track & https://www.stage32.com/education/collections/financing

Every success story begins with a first step.

Whether you’re chasing representation, looking for collaborators, or simply ready to stop creating in isolation, the Stage 32 Community Open House is your moment to show up, be seen, and start making real progress.

This free live event is your invitation to finally tap into the power of the world’s largest online platform built by creatives, for creatives. You’ll walk away with practical tools, new connections, and a clear path forward—no matter your background, location, or where you are in your career.

Join Ashley Smith, Head of Community at Stage 32, for an inspiring and interactive session designed to help you build visibility, grow your network, and begin engaging with purpose. If you’ve ever wondered how to get discovered, meet the right people, or build momentum—this is where it starts.

www.stage32.com/education/products/stage-32-s-november-community...

Hi here is the ending of a letter I am writing to send off to investors and sales agents. My wife keeps saying it sounds like I am saying my film is a terrible! I am not sure I agree but I figured I would ask.

"I shot this version over the course of a couple of months to demonstrate what it sounds like and can look like. This is to show it is watchable and dynamic but of course it is not a finished product, it needs pickups, editing and refining."