Creators praise YouTube’s reach, inclusivity and flexibility as they use it to go worldwide

Videoland comes from writer and director Jessica Smith

The Australian producer of a queer coming-of-age series set in a 1990s video store acquired by Netflix and Canal+ will launch the series on YouTube on August 1, the same day as a Bollywood star has decided to make his latest film available on the platform.

Videoland (6×8′) will be available on producer Pikelet Pictures’ dedicated queer YouTube channel queerbites worldwide, excluding Australia and New Zealand, where it streams on Netflix.

Canal+ also has rights in France and its overseas territories, plus Monaco, Andorra, Mauritius, Madagascar, Comoros, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

The show, which follows a 17-year-old video store employee as she awkwardly navigates her new sexual identity by searching for queer inspiration in film, launched last year and was created by writer-director Jessica Smith. Its cast is led by Emmanuelle Mattana (Mustangs FC,) alongside Chi Nguyen (The Wilds), Tahlee Fereday (Triple Oh!) and Toby Blome (The Twelve).

Produced by Smith and Scarlett Koehne of Pikelet Pictures, it garnered international acclaim last year by winning Best Series in the Comedy Competition at Series Mania in France.

Discussing the reasons behind releasing the show worldwide for free on YouTube, Smith said: “As a story that is all about the importance of accessible representation, we wanted to make sure it was available for as many people as possible.

“For me – and so many others – YouTube has always been the place to find authentic queer stories when mainstream media falls short, so it’s only right that Videoland should live there.”

Koehne added: “We’ve already found an enthusiastic audience among festival goers and local audiences and we can’t wait for the rest of the world to join them.”

Sitaare Zameen Par, the latest film from Aamir Khan

It comes as YouTube distribution becomes an attractive option for creators who want to get their content out to as many potential viewers as possible without the need to go through traditional licensing deals.

In India, Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan will launch his latest theatrical film Sitaare Zameen Par on exclusively YouTube on August 1 via the Google-owned platform’s transactional VoD service following its theatrical run.

It will be available in the UK for £5.49 (US$7.34) and in an additional 37 international markets, including the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Spain, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore, with pricing localised for each market. In India it will be available for 100R (US$1.14).

Khan praised YouTube’s “reach and flexible distribution capabilities” and has said it will also be the primary destination for other films from Aamir Khan Productions in the future.

The actor-producer said: “For the past 15 years, I have been struggling with the challenge of how to reach audiences who do not have geographical access to theatres, or those who are unable to make it to theatres for various reasons.

“Finally the time for the perfect storm has come. With our government bringing in UPI [Unified Payment Interface] and India becoming number one in the world in electronic payments, with internet penetration in India having grown dramatically and growing everyday, and with YouTube being on most devices, we can finally reach vast sections of people in India, and a significant part of the world.

“My dream is that cinema should reach everyone at a reasonable and affordable price. I want people to have the ease of watching cinema when they want, where they want. If this idea works, creative voices can tell different stories breaking geographical and other barriers. This will also be a great opportunity for younger creative people entering the field of cinema. If this idea works, then I see this as a win-win for all.”

Gunjan Soni, country MD for YouTube in India, said: “The digital launch of Sitaare Zameen Par exclusively on YouTube underscores a significant step towards democratising Indian film distribution at a global scale.

“YouTube is already a key digital destination for premium content, and we’re excited to offer filmmakers and content owners not only our unparalleled digital reach but also the control and flexibility to meet their audiences where they are. Today’s launch is far more than a release – YouTube is laying out the red carpet for Indian cinema to stride onto the global stage.”