SPI International announces that “My Dad’s Christmas Date”, their holiday themed co-production with MSR Media, Goldfinch and Highfield Grange Studios starring Jeremy Piven, will premiere on FilmBox channels across many territories worldwide and on Film1 in the Netherlands in December 2020
SPI International is thrilled to announce that their co-production My Dad’s Christmas Date, a heartfelt holiday themed romantic comedy starring Jeremy Piven, will launch on FilmBox Premium, FilmBox Extra and FilmBox channels across multiple territories including Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia, Ex-Yugo, the Middle East, Bulgaria, Russia and the Baltics in December. Subscribers to the Film1 on-demand and linear services in the Netherlands will also be able to watch the movie starting December 12th, 2020. In addition, My Dad’s Christmas Date will be available on-demand through various platforms in Poland, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia, Romania, Turkey, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
“We launched SPI International’s production arm last year and we are working at full speed on our various exciting co-productions together with our dear friend Philippe Martinez,” said Loni Farhi, President of SPI International. “We are delighted to share the heartwarming story of David and Jules with a global audience of millions at a time when we all need to be reminded of what matters the most in life: hope, family and love,” added Farhi.
Directed by Mick Davis and starring Jeremy Piven, Olivia-Mai Barrett, Hadar Cats, Megan Brown Martinez, Nathalie Cox, Roger Ashton-Griffiths and Joely Richardson, My Dad’s Christmas Date tells the story of David, a single dad living with his 16-year-old daughter Jules, in York. Around Christmas time, 2 years after the untimely death of her mom, Jules decides to take matters into her own hands and find her father a girlfriend by signing him up to multiple dating platforms without his knowledge. All they each need for Christmas is love but this is easier said than done as Jules discovers when her plans begin to unravel with hilarious consequences.
My Dad’s Christmas Date will premiere in December on the following channels: FilmBox Premium in Poland, Romania, Hungary, Czechia and Slovakia and Ex-Yugo; FilmBox in the Middle East, Russia and the Baltics, and on FilmBox Extra in Bulgaria. In addition, the movie will drop on Film1 Premiere on December 12th 2020 in the Netherlands, and subscribers to Film1 will be able to watch the movie on-demand from that point on.
“My Dad’s Christmas Date is a great accomplishment for our first film co-produced with SPI International. This delightful Christmas story is the perfect film to give audiences a warm feeling in these challenging times. Jeremy’s performance is just superbe and the best gift for this Christmas,” commented Philippe Martinez, Producer at MSR Media.
My Dad’s Christmas Date is an SPI International co-production produced by Philippe Martinez of MSR Media in collaboration with Alan Latham of Highfield Grange Studios. The film’s financial partner is Kirsty Bell from Goldfinch, who serves as Executive Producer alongside MSR Media’s Lee Beasley and Karinne Behr.
About SPI International
SPI International is a global media company operating 42 television channels on six continents. FilmBox being its flagship channel, SPI is one of the biggest aggregators of native Ultra HD content in the world. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses state of the art technology providing its 65+ million subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content including live streaming of UHD programming and FilmBox channels on any Internet-connected device via major global streaming media players as well as local OTT providers. SPI recently added to its portfolio Film1 premium movie services in the Netherlands, including four movie channels and digital services.
For over 25 years, SPI International has been a leading distributor of theatrical films and television programming in the international market. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.
About MSR MEDIA
MSR Media is a boutique film and television production company based in York, England lead by Producer Philippe Martinez and Managing Director Lee Beasley. The company is uniquely positioned to create content suited to today’s exciting market: commercially viable film and television projects with very high production values, bankable lead actors, yet economically sound budgets.
MSR Media has strategic international distribution partnerships through their international sales arm MSR Media International, a boutique-style, dynamic international sales company focusing on commercial feature films and television series for audiences around the world.
Headquartered in the US with offices in the UK. MSR Media International’s commercially driven principals have years of experience in the film industry, uniquely bringing together finance, production and marketing skills to the company. MSR Media International fully understands the international sales market and assists and advises content producers on script development, production, finance and crucially, the effective marketing campaign for the project to our long-standing buyers.
Operating 42 TV channels and digital services on six continents, SPI International has a truly global reach. Its flagship FilmBox channel, which carries the motto “Home of Good Movies,” alone reaches more than 30 million homes in 25 countries with a catalog that spans Hollywood blockbusters, classic evergreens, world cinema gems and local productions. “The FilmBox movie service provides a comprehensive entertainment experience with multiple linear channels and streaming services available through hundreds of pay-TV operators worldwide,” says CEO Berk Uziyel. “We enable viewers to consume a large catalog of films both through linear and on-demand whenever and wherever they desire.”
Uziyel goes on to explain that FilmBox, Film1 and Timeless Dizi Channel (TDC) are the key focuses for growth. “FilmBox is one of our most sought-after services, rapidly growing its presence across the world,” he notes. SPI acquired the Dutch premium movie services brand Film1 in the Netherlands in 2019 from Sony. “Within a year, we are seeing improvements in terms of the reception of our brand proposition of ‘Always a Good Movie (Altijd Een Goede Film)’ by the viewers in the region,” Uziyel adds. “Through our various efforts, we have managed to secure a steady increase in the total number of subscribers of Film1, reversing the previous course. We continue to take important steps toward further strengthening our relationships with distributors and our operator partners to bring even more quality content to a larger number of households in the country.”
TDC, a premium Turkish-drama channel launched in 2019, has been “soaring to global success,” says Uziyel. The channel is currently available in 81 countries through 19 operators reaching 25 million households. Recent launches include multiple territories in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. “We aim to expand our footprint in the Western European market via TDC in 2021 and beyond,” he adds. In the new year, the company is planning to launch the new streaming app DIZI, which lets viewers across the world watch a curated selection of the best Turkish series on-demand.
SPI also has a robust content catalog, with programming across all genres that is sourced from a broad array of suppliers. “We have developed strong partnerships with major studios, mini-majors, broadcasters’ distribution arms, as well as independent production and distribution companies working both globally and locally, to assure that we broadcast on our channels the best content they produce,” Uziyel explains. “Our acquisition focus spans the latest hits as well as evergreens for movies, global hits for TV series and the highest-rated TV programs from around the world for our factual slots. Local productions are also of great value for us in territories where we have extended our footprint with local channels.”
New to the catalog are Universe’s Most Wanted, starring Dave Bautista and directed by Brad Peyton; Little America, a dystopian action thriller with Sylvester Stallone; TheDoorman, an action thriller with Jean Reno; and Emperor, based on the life story of Shields Green.
SPI co-produced My Dad’s Christmas Date, a heartfelt Christmas comedy with Jeremy Piven, Joely Richardson and Olivia-Mai Barrett, and has the title available across most territories. Also co-produced by SPI, The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud is a sci-fi action movie with a comedic twist and eye-catching visual effects starring Scott Adkins.
“Our catalog continues to expand rapidly with great content from the best independent producers on the market,” says Uziyel. “Our primary focus in terms of international sales is to provide our clients with ready-made content, which is very valuable and in-demand nowadays for both linear and digital platforms. Considering that due to COVID-19 there will be delays for new productions, we make sure to provide our clients with a large pool of finished content: first-run and evergreen reissues, both dubbed and subtitled, and available for immediate release in all genres, regions and markets. In addition, we have theatrical titles that we plan to release next year once cinemas reopen.”
SPI’s aim in the coming years, according to Uziyel, will be to continue to provide a “well-rounded, high-quality entertainment experience” through its FilmBox and Film1 movie services that combine linear and on-demand viewing experiences.
“The future of entertainment will be a hybrid one, with viewers accessing both pay-TV channels—due to the simplicity and convenience—and on-demand services—for the option to be able to watch the content of their choosing at their own time,” he continues. “We believe viewers will subscribe to multiple services and operators will continue to act as aggregators. There will be packages of different services, and our movie services with the tagline of ‘Home of Good Movies’ will be a great part of these bundles. We will position ourselves as a neighboring service provider to big streaming giants and continue to work with our partners to create these new packages.”
In terms of content distribution, SPI’s expansion into Western Europe is a significant move. “We have developed a strong distribution partnership in the U.K., and we plan to release more titles in this territory in the coming year. We’re also expanding into the German, Spanish and Portuguese markets.” The company additionally has Latin America in focus for 2021, while continuing to deliver top-quality entertainment to its core markets across CEE, Africa, CIS, Turkey, Benelux and elsewhere.
- WORLDSCREENINGS (Newsletter sent on December 8, 2020)
SPI/FilmBox and SALT expand their channel distribution deal to include SPI’s global Turkish drama channel Timeless Dizi Channel (TDC). Starting December 1st, SALT subscribers will be able to access the channel in their basic package.
SPI/FilmBox and Swiss telecommunications provider SALT announce that they have partnered to bring SPI’s global Turkish drama channel Timeless Dizi Channel (TDC) to Switzerland. Starting on December 1st, the channel will be offered in the primary basic package. Viewers can watch the channel in the original Turkish version with English subtitles, or with Arabic dubbing.
“Turkish series or Dizi has quickly become a genre of its own, achieving remarkable success globally over the last 10 years with big stories that cross boundaries, popular actors, and beautiful landmarks,” said Georgina Twiss, MD of Western Europe and Africa. “It is our great pleasure to bring these sweeping epics to Switzerland with Timeless Dizi Channel and to introduce the gripping world of Turkish drama to the Swiss audience via our longtime partners SALT,” added Twiss.
Established in April 2019, TDC currently reaches 25 million households worldwide in 81 countries rapidly growing its presence globally with recent launches in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. The channel was first launched in Luxembourg in Western Europe and continues to expand its footprint across the continent with more deals to come in Portugal, Germany and Spain. With over 600 hours of fresh content including globally acclaimed dizis, the current channel highlights include: International Emmy Award winning Endless Love, Stiletto Vendetta, Karadayi, Black Money Love, 20 Minutes, Kurt Seyit & Shura, Red Scarf and The End. The channel also brings three unique and exclusive series to international screens for the first time: Moms and Mothers, Five Brothers and The 8th Day.
In addition to TDC, SALT carries four other channels from the expansive SPI/FilmBox portfolio: Gametoon which is dedicated to gaming content created by true gaming and esports enthusiasts; FightBox broadcasts some of the most electrifying combat sports live events and multi-discipline mixed martial arts coverage from all over the world; Fast&FunBox offers action-packed programming dedicated to adrenaline sports; and FunBox UHD, the first worldwide native 4K/UHD TV channel that presents 100% premium native UHD programming dedicated to entertainment and lifestyle programming acquired from top producers and distributors around the globe.
About SPI International
SPI International is a global media company operating 42 television channels on six continents. FilmBox being its flagship channel, SPI is one of the biggest aggregators of native Ultra HD content in the world. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses state of the art technology providing its 65+ million subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content including live streaming of UHD programming and FilmBox channels on any Internet-connected device via major global streaming media players as well as local OTT providers. SPI recently added to its portfolio Film1 premium movie services in the Netherlands, including four movie channels and digital services.
For over 25 years, SPI International has been a leading distributor of theatrical films and television programming in the international market. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.
About SALT
Salt is a Swiss telecommunications provider which owns and operates an extensive, high-quality mobile telecommunications network. With Start, Basic, Swiss, Europe, World, Young and Surf, Salt offers a comprehensive portfolio of personal, straightforward and efficient mobile flat rate subscriptions. At up to 1 Gbps and no extra costs, Salt customers can surf on the fastest available internet connection (4G+) – without any speed limitation. Salt’s ultra-fast 4G+ network covers over 55% of the Swiss population and its 4G network covers even 99%.
Thanks to its ultrafast broadband solution called Salt Home, Salt provides a unique triple play service, which for the first time in Switzerland takes full advantage of the optical fiber technology by means of symmetrical date transmission rates of up to 10 Gbit/s. Salt Home can be combined in an gainful way with Salt’s powerful mobile flat rate subscriptions.
SPI International inked a content acquisition deal with Earth Touch for a total of thirty-four riveting documentaries. The company licensed all worldwide TV and VOD non-exclusive rights of the content to broadcast on DocuBox and SPI’s other linear and digital assets.
SPI International announces that it has acquired thirty-four documentaries, which amounts to approximately eighty hours of programming from Earth Touch, an award-winning producer of high-end factual series. According to the deal, SPI will be able to broadcast the freshly acquired programming on DocuBox and on any of its other linear and digital brand assets worldwide.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Earth Touch, a company that shares our passion for providing audiences with high-quality content produced via state-of-the-art technologies,” commented Revi Benshoshan, Director of Acquisitions at SPI International. “This new slate of programming from Earth Touch will be a great addition to our library, especially to DocuBox’s rich collection of fascinating documentary and factual series that explores different cultures and the wonders of our world,” added Benshoshan.
The licensed programming includes various nature and wildlife documentaries such as, Deep Blue Dive and Black Mamba: Kiss of Death and travel themed content like Marco Polo: A Very Modern Journey and Most Intriguing Safari Destinations.
About SPI International
SPI International is a global media company operating 42 television channels on six continents. FilmBox being its flagship channel, SPI is one of the biggest aggregators of native Ultra HD content in the world. Working with over 700 operators worldwide, SPI uses state of the art technology providing its 65+ million subscribers with access to SPI’s linear and on-demand content including live streaming of UHD programming and FilmBox channels on any Internet-connected device via major global streaming media players as well as local OTT providers. SPI recently added to its portfolio Film1 premium movie services in the Netherlands, including four movie channels and digital services.
For over 25 years, SPI International has been a leading distributor of theatrical films and television programming in the international market. SPI’s solid alliances with major license suppliers provide compelling content, with strong recognition and high demand.
About Earth Touch
Earth Touch is composed of three affiliated entities: production companies in Durban and Washington DC, and a sales and distribution office in London. Earth Touch is a specialist in factual production and distribution, focusing primarily on wildlife and history documentary and factual entertainment series and films. It has an extensive archive of over 9000 hours of high-quality UHD and HD material, as well a total of 394 hours of blue-chip original programming. Learn more at www.earthtouchnews.com
