MovieMe expands in Türkiye with pay-per-minute streaming model

MovieMe, which aims to create a new space in digital streaming with a pay-per-minute revenue model, is expanding its content network in Türkiye after entering the market in July.

The platform, which increased its global audience from 80,000 to 250,000 in a short period before entering the Turkish market, aims to reach 500,000 viewers by the end of the year.

It is expanding partnerships with local content creators, directors and studios while preparing a new project that is expected to be one of Türkiye's first horizontal-format AI series, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

MovieMe CEO Bhavesh Joshi spoke to Anadolu Agency about how the platform works, its 70% revenue share for content creators and why it is focusing on Türkiye.

Highlighting the imbalances created by traditional subscription and advertising models for both viewers and creators, Joshi explained the shortcomings of existing systems.

“Current systems charge users too much because they have to pay even when they are not watching. It is also not very fair to content creators. Even when they produce great content and generate significant engagement, they cannot effectively turn it into revenue. Under our model, users come to the platform and, for example, purchase a package of 500 minutes. These minutes never expire. Whether you watch them all in one day or spread them over a year is entirely up to you,” he said.

Joshi said the platform was designed around a “pay as you watch” approach, meaning viewers pay only for the time they consume.

“If you skip a video or pause it, you are not charged for that time. So, if you watch only the final 10 minutes of a 100-minute video, you pay only for those 10 minutes. If a user stops watching after 10 minutes, that is also fine. Our model is designed to allow people to try new content without risking a large upfront expense,” he said.

70% of revenue goes directly to creators

Joshi said MovieMe's revenue model allocates 70% of the income generated from each minute watched directly to the content creator.

Pointing to income inequality in the industry, he said: “There are platforms earning $60 billion to $70 billion, while an average creator may earn only $1,000. The key question for us is whether we can create a much fairer ecosystem. That means sharing more revenue with the people who actually bring the audiences that watch the content.”

Joshi said Turkish productions' global influence was a decisive factor in choosing Türkiye as the platform's official launch market, adding that the company believed in the potential of the country's content creators.

“Türkiye has a wonderful storytelling tradition. After the United States and the United Kingdom, Turkish content ranks among the most widely watched productions across the largest number of countries worldwide. However, given the conditions in recent years and the low RPM (revenue per thousand impressions) rates paid by ad-supported platforms, we thought this was a very suitable market. The storytelling potential is enormous, and many people here are making content creation a serious profession,” he said.

Joshi said MovieMe was accelerating cooperation with producers, directors and independent creators in Türkiye.

“All the content we source from Türkiye is locally produced Turkish content. We are working with creators, directors and filmmakers to bring the strongest voices in Turkish storytelling to our platform,” he said.

Türkiye's first horizontal-format AI series in development

According to data shared by the platform, the average viewing time per user in a single session is 13 minutes. For creator payments, viewing times are rounded up to support creators' earnings.

Following the addition of Barbaros Dikmen's film Caretta Bobi to the platform, MovieMe has been gradually expanding its catalogue with content from Turkish creators. The platform aims to bring local productions across different themes and genres to global audiences. As MovieMe has no geographical restrictions, content uploaded from Türkiye can be accessed worldwide.

MovieMe is also tracking changing viewing habits and production technologies. In response to growing interest in short, vertical-format AI series, the platform is preparing a new project intended to become one of Türkiye's first horizontal-format AI series.

The platform plans to hold a major launch event after adding new content next month.

Photo: Facebook/justmovieme