Black Gold TV_ A VOD Platform for Black British Heritage

Screen Nation, a company known for promoting black British talent, is creating a new streaming service called Black Gold TV. The platform aims to showcase content from Black Britain and the African diaspora worldwide, but with a unique approach. Instead of seeking big investors or charging high subscription fees, they plan to partner with rights holders and offer them equity in the platform. In return, they get access to a large catalog of black British television content and the potential for profit. The platform will be free for users for the first three years, hoping to attract a large audience and increase its value. The goal is to create a more equitable and inclusive media landscape that empowers underserved communities to tell their own stories. This model could potentially be replicated for other communities as well. It's an exciting possibility that could revolutionize the streaming world. All right, so are we ready to dive into something totally different today? Yeah, let's go for it. Okay, cool. Yeah. So we're going to be looking at this really interesting plan for like a new streaming service. Okay. But it's not just any streaming service, right? It's focused entirely on content from Black Britain and the African diaspora worldwide. Yeah. Wow, that's ambitious. Yeah. It's really ambitious. And you know what's even more interesting? It's not just like, oh, we're going to gather up all the shows that are out there and stick them into one place. Right. It's actually about building something much bigger, like owned by the community itself. Oh, wow. Okay. And the industry, you know? Yeah, that's fascinating. So tell me, how are they planning to pull this off? What makes this different from what we've already seen? Yeah, so it all boils down to this model called Creative Equity Exchange. Have you heard of this? I have not. Okay. So basically, instead of like the traditional way of, you know, seeking out big investors or like charging people these crazy subscription fees, they're actually proposing to partner with people who already own the rights to a lot of this content. Oh, interesting. So like TV channels, production companies. Yeah, exactly. Okay. So instead of paying them like a traditional licensing fee, they're offering them something a little bit different. Oh, so what are they offering instead? Equity. Oh, wow. In the platform itself. Okay, so everyone has a stake in this. Exactly. So they're kind of all in it together. That's a pretty big gamble, though, isn't it? They're really banking on this thing taking off. It is. It is a big gamble. But how do you think this benefits the rights holders, though? Well, I mean, first of all, they get to be a part of something that could potentially be hugely profitable. Right. And then also, I think they get access to data that they might not have otherwise. Oh, yeah, like audience engagement and things like that. Exactly, yeah. Like who's watching what and when and for how long and all that stuff. Yeah, and that can be really valuable to them, especially when they're trying to make decisions about what content to produce in the future. Yeah, absolutely. So, okay, so what about the platform? What do they get out of this whole arrangement? Well, they get content. Yeah. I mean, tons of it. We're talking potentially like 1,500 hours of black British television content. A lot of this stuff is from the 20th century. A lot of it's like really rarely seen stuff. It's like a goldmine. So, it's not just about giving a platform to new content. It's also about preserving and kind of showcasing all this existing work. Yeah, exactly. It's like bringing it back to life, you know, exposing it to a new audience. That's really cool. Yeah. So, okay, let's talk about the people behind all this. Okay. Screen Nation. Yeah. Some people might not know who they are. Can you give us a little bit of background on them? Yeah. So, Screen Nation is a company that's been around for a while. They've been promoting black British talent for years and years. They're known for their award shows and film festivals, and they've got recognition from big institutions like the BBC and BAFTA. So, you know, they're kind of a big deal. They really understand this market. They know this audience. Yeah. They're not just coming in blind. They've got a track record in this space. Yeah. And this platform that they're creating, it's called Black Gold TV. Okay. And this is another really interesting part of their strategy. It's going to be free. Free? Yeah. For users for the first three years. Three years. That's a long time. I know. It is. To operate without any subscription revenue. How are they going to do that? Well, they're hoping that by making it free, they can attract a huge audience really quickly. Okay. And then that will kind of increase the value of the platform, which benefits all the equity holders. Right. So, they have a chance to kind of establish themselves in the market before they start charging. Right. So, they can kind of figure out all the other ways to generate revenue while people are using it for free. Exactly. Like advertising and sponsorships and that kind of stuff. Right. And, you know, on top of all that, they're not even just limiting themselves to showcasing all this existing content. Right. They're planning to use this platform to fund and develop new content as well. Yeah. That's a huge part of their mission. They want to give opportunities to emerging black British talent. Yeah. Both in front of and behind the camera. Wow. That's really cool. So, I mean, what do you think this all means for the streaming landscape? What kind of impact could this have? Well, I think it could be a real game changer. It could really shake things up in terms of diversity and representation. Yeah. And, you know, this whole model, it's like a direct challenge to the way streaming services have traditionally operated. Yeah. And it's putting ownership and community at the forefront. Yeah. And if it works, if Black Gold TV succeeds, it could really pave the way for a much more equitable and inclusive media landscape. That would be incredible. Okay. And if it works for black British content, do you think this model could be replicated for other underserved communities as well? I think it definitely could. Yeah. Like, could we see similar platforms dedicated to, like, Latinx stories and Asian American stories? Yeah. Like all these voices that haven't really had the opportunity to share their stories in this way. I think it's a really exciting possibility. Yeah. Imagine a world where every community has the power to tell their own stories and control their own narratives. Yeah. That would be pretty amazing. It would. So this is definitely something worth paying attention to, I think. Absolutely. This is a story with huge potential. Yeah. And it's going to be really interesting to see how it all unfolds. Yeah. To see if they can pull it off. Yeah. Who knows? Maybe this is the start of a real revolution in the streaming world. Yeah. Maybe it is. Yeah. Me too. Well, thanks for taking this deep dive with me. Yeah. Thanks for having me. It was really great to chat about this with you. Yeah. It was really interesting. All right. And to everyone listening, thanks for joining us, and we'll catch you next time. See you.