Distrify
Edinburgh-based digital distribution platform enabling independent filmmakers to sell and rent their films directly to audiences through embeddable players and their own websites.
Overview
Distrify is an Edinburgh-based digital distribution platform founded in 2011. The company provides independent filmmakers with the tools to sell and rent their films directly to audiences through embeddable video players and filmmaker-owned websites. Unlike traditional aggregators that place films on third-party platforms, Distrify enables direct-to-audience distribution where the filmmaker retains the customer relationship and sells directly from their own online presence.
The platform's embeddable player approach means filmmakers can place a "watch now" or "rent now" button on their own website, social media pages, or anywhere online, and audiences transact directly with the filmmaker rather than through a third-party platform. This direct commercial relationship gives filmmakers access to audience data, email addresses, and customer relationships that platform-based distribution does not provide.
Direct-to-Audience Model
Distrify's core value proposition is the direct commercial relationship between filmmaker and audience. In traditional aggregator distribution, a filmmaker places a film on Amazon or Apple TV and receives a revenue share, but the customer relationship -- the audience's email, viewing history, and purchasing behaviour -- belongs to the platform. Distrify reverses this: the filmmaker owns the customer relationship and uses the platform as infrastructure rather than surrendering audience access to a third party.
This model is most valuable for filmmakers with existing audiences -- those who have built communities around their work through social media, mailing lists, previous films, or affiliated organisations. A filmmaker with 50,000 social media followers can convert even a small percentage of that audience into direct paying customers, generating revenue without the platform fee overhead and while retaining the customer data for future films.
What Filmmakers Should Know
Distrify is most effective as a component of a broader direct-to-audience distribution strategy rather than as a replacement for platform distribution. A filmmaker might use Distrify for direct sales from their own website while simultaneously placing the film on streaming platforms through an aggregator. The two approaches are complementary: direct sales generate higher-margin revenue and customer relationships, while platform distribution provides discoverability for audiences who have not yet found the filmmaker directly.
The platform charges transaction fees rather than requiring a revenue share in the traditional distributor sense, making it financially attractive for filmmakers with established audiences who can drive traffic to their own distribution pages.
See Also
For how direct-to-audience distribution compares to platform aggregation and traditional distribution, see Streaming vs Theatrical Revenue. For aggregator platforms that complement direct distribution, see Filmhub and Quiver Digital in this directory.
