Small World, Catalyst secure Albania licensing agency deal

Small World IFT and the Catalyst Story Institute have secured an exclusive sales agency agreement covering Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Montenegro, opening a formal route for international rights holders into one of Europe’s last largely unlicensed television markets.

Tim Crescenti

The deal, agreed with local distributor NewWay Consulting and drawing on market research from Catalyst, comes as Albania overhauls its IP laws on the road to EU accession, forcing more than 180 television stations, OTT platforms and other exhibitors to move away from decades of unlicensed programming.

The region’s legitimate broadcast and streaming market serves more than five million consumers plus an additional 20 million tourists annually.

Last month Albania’s broadcasting authority, AMA, convened representatives from the country’s cybersecurity, communications, police and tax authorities to launch a national task force targeting digital and audiovisual piracy.

Under the deal, Small World IFT CEO Tim Crescenti will act as a conduit between international distributors and the market, working alongside Albanian lawyer Evien Dako, who represents a local association of television station owners. “We will work directly with Evien, and I will be the conduit from the distributors,” said Crescenti, who is assembling a master catalogue of available titles for local broadcasters to license.

Philip Gilpin Jr

Catalyst Story Institute CEO Philip Gilpin Jr described the market as wide open. “This is the Wild West. This is a land grab. We’re building this thing from the dirt up,” he said.

The partners estimate total available annual revenue for content licensing at approximately US$2m to start, with upside as the market matures. Given limited prior access to legitimate programming, the highest-value opportunity is expected to lie with proven, recognisable titles, including major studio classics and any film or television show that ranked in the US top 20 at any point since 1940, rather than niche or newer catalogue.

Crescenti said early conversations with distributors including ITV, Fremantle and Warner Bros have been positive, with companies checking whether existing sub-licensees have been operating properly in the region. Agreements are being formalised using the standard template published by the Independent Film & Television Alliance.

For more on this deal, see the full C21 interview here.