Wattpad Strikes International Content Deal with Iflix
In an increasingly globalized world, entertainment can come from places other than Hollywood and North America.
Wattpad recognizes this and has made a move to build on that notion by announcing a content partnership with iflix, an entertainment service geared towards emerging markets based in Malaysia. Over the next year, Wattpad and iflix will work together to co-produce dozens of original movies based on Wattpad stories from Indonesia.
There are over six million original Indonesian stories on Wattpad alone, and the Toronto-based tech company will use its AI and machine learning capabilities to determine which ones will best be suited for production. Wattpad will look at figures like reading time, engagement, overall reads and other metrics, then develop them under the iflix Originals brand.
“All over the world, entertainment companies are recognizing the need to find original stories from new voices,” said Aron Levitz, head of Wattpad Studios. “This deal represents the future of entertainment, where technology and data converge with new voices in storytelling to transform how great content gets made and distributed. 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.”
Wattpad has more than 6.5 million monthly active users and the site churns out over 500,000 chapters of new content each day. This new announcement builds on Wattpad’s goal to produce local organic content for consumers around the world and further democratize the entertainment industry.
On iflix’s side, the platform has more than nine million users in Indonesia alone, streaming an average of 40 minutes each day. The country is iflix’s fastest-growing market and the deal with Wattpad will give them access to a trove of new content to produce and build on.
“Storytelling is the bedrock of all great entertainment,” said Sean Carey, iflix’s Chief Content Officer. “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. 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.”
Wattpad is no stranger to international deals like this. They have major partnerships in place with eOne, Bavaria Fiction, Sony and more.
