Filmklik reaches 100 million people

On Media Information Day in Cannes Péter Bognár represented Hungary and talked about the results of the first VoD competition of Filmklik VoD-platform and Mediadesk.

Filmklik initiated by Budapest Film is one of the biggest distribution companies which operates a VoD system in the European market. Despite the fact Filmklik can reach 100 million people, we must wait for a VoD explosion.

The results of the first Video on Demand (VoD) tender call issued by MediaDesk were announced on 16th May on Media Information Day organized by MEDIA Program within the framework of Cannes Film Festival. Péter Bognár represented Hungary and talked about the results of Filmklik VoD platform initiated by Budapest Film. Budapest Film belongs to one of the few film distribution companies which operates a VoD service, though in Europe this form of distribution is usually launched by telecommunications companies and TVs. Accordingly, Budapest Film is one of the biggest distributors launching a VoD system in the European market, and won the 400 000 EUR tender to make VoD system available in Eastern Europe.

As a matter of fact this will result in the domestication of Filmklik, the neccessary arrangements (negotiations with the distribution partners etc.) are being made at the moment. The movie fans of the involved countries may download films soon via filmklik.pl, filmklik.cz o filmklik.sk. ”This way we can be an ineluctable factor of home downloading market in Eastern Europe with a centre in Budapest” said Péter Bogdán earlier to filmhu. 

The basic principles are the same everywhere: Filmklik will be available in the language and under the filmlaws of the specific countries. This service is only available through a PC for the moment, as Filmklik uses the Microsoft’s security and access control system (Digital Rights Management), which can only be applied via Windows Media Player, so Linux or Macintosh users must wait for this form of entertainment a bit more.  

PC users must register first, then decide to buy or borrow the film: the latter is possible by streaming (that is watching the film during downloading it), or downlod the film, and then watch it. In case of Hungarian Filmklik registered users can rent a film for 48 hours, and during this time they can watch the movie as many times as they want. (In some cases films cannot be downloaded but streamed.)

Budapest Film with its position in Eastern Europe can reach 100 million people, of course the relative backwardness of the region’s internet penetration must be taken into consideration, too, which implies the adoptation of VoD system won’t be as quick as in Western Europe.

The other conference of MEDIA Program was about a world tendency where the partcicipants talked about exponential development. There are also other solutions to reach this system, as the most common tecnological realization of VoD is through TV, through a set-top box. According to the survey of the European Audiovisual Observatory more than 150 VoD systems were operating in 2006, 4 in Hungary: two via internet (T-Home and Filmklik), two through IPTV technology. VoD services are not available in Turkey, Slovenia and Luxemburg yet.

Filmklik gives preferences to the art market: in the framework of the European Film Month in December European art films, during the Film Week short films and documentaries, while during the French Film Month in May French films were available. Managing director of Budapest Film Ferenc Port had already mentioned that digital broadcasting could solve the constant copy problems of the 67 art rooms throughout Hungary, but this would demand very expensive technical developments. Budapest Film intends to adopt general digital broadcasting until 2012, which would make it possible to pass film copies in a digital way between theatres.