{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/62301a5c63c97500122f8a76/6566d9498eb9a900110cd773?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Library Release - Telling Stories w/ Jason Wise, SOMM TV","description":"<p>From an outsider's perspective, Jason Wise, director of the SOMM movies and founder of SOMM TV, has been able to find stories in the world of wine that interest a broad audience. To control more of the content pipeline and how the shows are distributed, Jason founded SOMM TV. Using \"Somm\" as more of a curator, SOMM TV has wine at its core and covers food, travel, and other alcohol, making it appealing to a broad (and younger) audience. Learn more about the business of wine films in this episode of XChateau!&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Detailed Show Notes:&nbsp;</strong></p><p>SOMM movie (2012) - Genesis of the movie</p><ul><li>Made when he was fresh out of film school (where he didn't focus on documentaries)</li><li>Met Brian McClintic, who asked him to watch their tasting practice</li><li>Jason found the practice similar to a sporting event</li><li>Met Ian Cauble and found his determination to become a Master Sommelier</li></ul><p>The success of the film</p><ul><li>The obsessive personalities made the film</li><li>Builds to an actual event (the MS exam)</li><li>The wine industry was ready for something like the movie</li><li>Not a \"wine film,\" a different way of looking at wine</li><li>Introduced a new group of people who can tell you what to drink (vs magazines)</li><li>Documentaries became popular with Netflix</li><li>Not made by wine people, the outsider perspective made it enjoyable for outsiders</li></ul><p>Media business model</p><ul><li>Movies usually have a distributor</li><li>Theaters are a big marketing arena for wine</li><li>iTunes - make a % of revenue</li><li>Netflix - pays the distributor a fixed fee; if put on the 1st page, it can reach millions of people. It often pays based on what it costs to make. They can own rights outright or rent the film</li><li>Amazon - get paid 6+ months after it's up, get a tiny cut of incremental revenue</li><li>YouTube - don't make any money on</li><li>Created SommTV to control more steps in the business model - more control of content pipeline, partnerships, and a place to premiere new films (e.g., SOMM 4)</li><li>Before Covid - events were a big part of the business</li></ul><p>Media platforms</p><ul><li>Hulu - Jason's favorite, takes the biggest swings in content</li><li>Stars - has the best movies</li><li>Netflix - very careful; content is very similar to each other; often licenses something then makes their version if it works (e.g., Uncorked is a similar series to Somm)</li></ul><p>Cost of making films</p><ul><li>Big range - SOMM 2 ~$100k vs ~$850k for another wine film made by someone else</li><li>Documentaries - can be millions, when there's real music, at least $500k</li><li>Do not pay people to be in the film</li></ul><p>SommTV business model</p><ul><li>Employees on salary, which is unusual in film</li><li>90% original content</li><li>It started with originals and, now, trying to license other content</li><li>Focused on wine, food, and alcohol; food is going to be a big part</li><li>It started the streaming service because it's an underserved audience, and wanted to super-serve them</li><li>Content pipeline - they would ideally love to have new content every day</li><li>Hundreds of thousands of subscribers (as of Jan 2022) - believes the potential audience is in the millions</li><li>\"Somm\" is defined by Jason as someone who curates - wine at the center, but food, travel, etc…surrounding it</li><li>Pricing - $6/month, $50/year</li><li>Lower cost doesn't necessarily mean more subscribers</li><li>Technology - a mix of own-developed and 3rd party apps; the goal is to bring the technology in-house</li></ul><p>SommTV subscribers</p><ul><li>Younger, usually 24-37 years old (~70%), middle class</li><li>Screenings/events - more varied audience</li><li>52% male, 48% female - women growing fast</li><li>Key markets - US largest by far, UK, Brazil, Nordic countries (not allowed in Iran or China)</li></ul><p><br></p>","author_name":"Robert Vernick, Peter Yeung"}