Back in 2013, Vivendi, still the owner of SFR, wanted to sell the telecom operator and outsource part of its operations. Julien Vin-Ramarony and Aurélien Clerc, then employees of the company, seized this opportunity and proposed taking over the operator's video-on-demand business: VOD Factory was born. " Julien and I created a company. SFR acquired 40% of the company's capital and signed a long-term contract. We operated SFR's VOD service for over five years, " explains Aurélien Clerc, CEO of VOD Factory. The company quickly signed major clients, such as FNAC and Cdiscount, and posted revenues of over €20 million.

But at the end of 2018, a grain of sand stopped the machine. SFR decides not to continue its collaboration with VOD Factory. As in 2013, the two partners are seizing this opportunity. “At the beginning of 2019, we bought the shares held by SFR and pivoted our model around 2 activities, one in BtoC, the other in BtoB,” says the manager.

"There is a space next to the large generalist platforms for community offers"

The first of these activities is the publishing of thematic video-on-demand services. " We are convinced that there is a space next to the big general platforms like Disney + or Netflix for community offers, as has existed in the press or on TV for decades. Provided that the community is engaged, that there is already existing premium content and that this target is a real community feeling, poorly addressed by the general media. He adds. Today, VOD Factory already offers 3 thematic platforms. One specializing in horror / thrill genre cinema "Shadowz", a second specializing in LGBT + fiction "QueerScreen" and "Spicee", entirely dedicated to documentaries.
But the company does not intend to stop there and has already planned to launch platforms on the themes of metal, competitive sailing or even theater. " For our projects, we partner with specialists in the communities we want to reach. People who know the audience crossroads, who know the influencers, and who find the best people to address these communities. », Explains Aurélien Clerc.

Beyond this publishing activity, VOD Factory has developed a SaaS* platform to allow its customers to create their VOD platform. "We make our solution available to anyone who wants to create their own platform." From sports to festivals, the scope of prospects is wide. "Especially since we have lowered the barriers to entry so that the possibility of self-distributing and monetizing their own content is as simple as possible on apps or websites," explains the manager.

Connect editor and operator

But what truly sets VOD Factory apart is undoubtedly its ability to leverage its expertise and network for the benefit of its clients. As a content publisher, the company can negotiate the broadcasting rights for films, series, and documentaries for its clients. It can also support them with production and digital marketing. However, making this content accessible to the widest possible audience is another challenge. " It's difficult for an operator to seek out community-based offerings, however influential and popular they may be with their target audience. And conversely, it's just as difficult for small publishers to gain a foothold with these major operators, " explains Aurélien Clerc. This is why the company has partnered with Orange, Amazon, and other operators. " We're accelerating the integration of publishers ." This should convince anyone still hesitant to venture into VOD. " We receive several calls a week from people who want to create their own Netflix. Our models allow us to be profitable with just a few thousand subscribers ."

Now, this representative of La French Touch hopes to convince new operators to offer its thematic platforms as well as those of its clients. " We're even starting to talk with French-speaking players internationally, " he concludes.

* SaaS (Software as a Service): software offered by a third party and hosted in the Cloud.