Challenger OTT Platform iflix And Wattpad To Produce Original Indonesian Movies

While production budgets were not disclosed, iflix and Wattpad have so far identified 26 projects for production over the year. Leading Indonesian production firm Screenplay, which has previously collaborated with iflix on a mini-series based on local blockbuster Magic Hour, is also expected to commit to co-fund and co-produce at least 15 of them. The companies also added they will use machine learning to identify the user-generated stories and trends with the most potential for adaptation.

Challenger brand iflix—launched in May 2015— is focused on emerging markets in Asia, the Middle East and Africa…presently Indonesia represents its fastest-growing market with subscribers hitting 9m. Likewise, Indonesia is also a key growth territory for Wattpad, comprising about 10% of the company’s 65m users worldwide.

In recent years, Wattpad has stamped its footprint in film and TV by striking deals with Universal Cable Productions, Sony Pictures Television, eOne and others to adapt the platform’s IP into entertainment properties. In the Philippines, the company worked with local broadcaster TV5 to create and co-produce a series titled Wattpad Presents, comprised of 250 episodes based on 76 Wattpad original stories.

“With Wattpad, we now have the opportunity to work with thousands of talented Indonesian writers to bring their stories to life for millions of iflix users in Indonesia, and broadly across our 30 markets worldwide,” said iflix chief content officer Sean Carey. “With traditional distribution and platform requirements no longer a constraint and deep data and analytics available to measure performance and engagement, this deal allows us to create exciting original productions from hugely popular, local stories.”

The finished films will play on iflix’s free tier and across all the countries in its footprint. Depending on the deals with Screenplay and the other local producers, some of the titles may be given limited theatrical releases in Indonesia.

“Working with iflix, we can bring our millions of passionate users in Indonesia and Southeast Asia exactly what they want: local stories that they already love and can’t wait to see adapted for the screen,” said Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios.