Shorts International

Overview

Shorts International Ltd is a London-based short film distribution company incorporated on April 3, 2000. It is the world's leading short entertainment company, operating the world's largest catalogue of short films across TV, mobile, online, and theatrical platforms. The company is headquartered in London, England, and is represented in the United States by Shorts Entertainment Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary located in Los Angeles.

Shorts International is led by Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive, who founded the company in 2000. Pilcher comes from a background in investment banking and law, holds a B.S. from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a J.D. from Georgetown University, and attended the London Business School Corporate Finance Evening Program. He is a voting member of BAFTA and a member of the Short Film and Feature Animation Branch of AMPAS. The company is majority-owned by Shorts Entertainment Holdings, with AMC Networks as a significant minority shareholder.

The company operates three main divisions: ShortsTV (the broadcast and streaming channel network), Shorts Factory (original short film content production for broadcasters and brands), and its digital distribution business (delivering short films to iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and other platforms in over 90 countries). Shorts International is registered at UK Companies House as an active private limited company (company number 03962510) with SIC codes covering video production (59112), video distribution (59132), television programme distribution (59133), and television programming and broadcasting (60200).

Acquisition Criteria and Deal Terms

Shorts International acquires approximately 300 international short films and 200 national shorts per year, making it one of the highest-volume short film buyers in the world. The company acquires content through festival relationships and direct submissions, with acquisition teams attending major short film festivals including Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, and Brussels.

Key acquisition criteria:

• Genres: Comedy, horror, science fiction, crime, romance, animation, documentary, and series
• Languages accepted: English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, German (non-English language films are also broadcast)
• Maximum duration: 10 to 20 minutes on average, up to 40 minutes maximum
• Production year: No preference, but films must be shot in HD
• Broadcast territories: Worldwide
• Broadcast modes: Pay TV, Free TV, VOD, SVOD
• Rights term: 4 years, TV and TV replay rights, non-exclusive
• Fee structure: Varies per deal, calculated per minute of content

The non-exclusive rights structure is notable: filmmakers can pursue other distribution channels simultaneously while their film is broadcast on ShortsTV. The 4-year term is standard for broadcast licensing and does not transfer ownership of the underlying copyright.

Platform Distribution

Shorts International's digital distribution business is its most significant revenue channel. The company operates as the primary short film content provider on iTunes/Apple TV, where it maintains a dedicated short film category available in over 90 countries. Short films are offered as TVOD (transactional video on demand) purchases, one of the few commercial digital distribution channels specifically designed for short content.

The company also distributes to Amazon Prime Video (as a channel add-on and subscription on-demand service), Google Play, and other digital platforms in selected markets. For short filmmakers, Shorts International's iTunes relationship provides commercial TVOD distribution that is extremely difficult to access independently. Most digital platforms are designed around feature-length content and do not have dedicated categories or discovery mechanisms for short films.

Shorts International's airline in-flight entertainment business provides another distribution channel. Airlines program short films to fill gaps between features in their entertainment systems, providing captive audiences for short content. Airlines served include British Airways, Delta, and Emirates. In-flight licensing generates modest per-film fees but provides exposure to large audiences, as international long-haul flights carry millions of passengers annually.

Oscar Shorts Theatrical Program

From 2006 through 2025, Shorts International (through its ShortsTV channel) produced and distributed the annual Oscar Nominated Short Films theatrical release, bringing the Academy Award-nominated short films in Live Action, Animation, and Documentary categories to theatres across the US and internationally. In recent years, the program was released in over 700 theatres across the US and Canada, with international releases in the UK, France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, India, South Africa, Mexico, Chile, China, and Australia.

For the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, the Oscar Nominated Shorts theatrical distribution has transitioned to Roadside Attractions, which will release the program exclusively in US and Canada theatres on February 20, 2026. The program is presented by Taika Waititi and features three feature-length theatrical compilations (Animated, Documentary, and Live Action). This marks a significant change in the Oscar Shorts distribution landscape, as ShortsTV had operated the program for nearly 20 years.

The 2026 Oscar Nominated Short Films include:

• Animated: Butterfly, Forevergreen, The Girl Who Cried Pearls, Retirement Plan, The Three Sisters
• Documentary: All the Empty Rooms, Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud, Children No More: 'Were and Are Gone', The Devil Is Busy, Perfectly a Strangeness
• Live Action: A Friend of Dorothy, Butcher's Stain, Jane Austen's Period Drama, The Singers, Two People Exchanging Saliva

What Filmmakers Should Know

For short filmmakers seeking commercial digital distribution, Shorts International is one of the primary specialist contacts for iTunes, airline, and broadcast placement worldwide. The company acquires short films through festival relationships (Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Brussels, and others) and direct submissions via its website.

Filmmakers should understand the deal structure: Shorts International typically takes 4-year non-exclusive TV and TV replay rights, meaning you retain copyright and can pursue other distribution channels simultaneously. Fees are calculated per minute of content and vary by deal. The company accepts films in multiple languages and across most genres, with a practical maximum duration of 40 minutes and an HD production requirement.

For filmmakers with Academy Award-nominated short films, the Oscar Shorts theatrical program (now distributed by Roadside Attractions for 2026) provides rare commercial theatrical exposure. Short filmmakers with Oscar nominations should contact Roadside Attractions about the 2026 theatrical program as part of their awards season distribution strategy. For previous years, ShortsTV handled this program directly.

Shorts International's global reach, covering iTunes markets in over 90 countries alongside airline networks and broadcast platforms, provides meaningful international commercial distribution for short content that most other distributors cannot deliver at this scale. The company's acquisition team includes Simon Young (catalogue development, BFI London Film Festival Short Film Advisor) and Linda Campos Olszewski (acquisitions, festival strategy, and distribution workshops), both with decades of short film industry experience.

Watch: Award-Winning Shorts

See Also

For short film festival strategy and how festival exposure leads to commercial distribution, see the Film Festivals Directory. For the ShortsTV channel as a broadcast destination for short content, see the ShortsTV entry in this directory. For how short film distribution differs from feature film distribution in revenue and strategy, see Distribution Deals Explained.