There is a booming market for OTT services that spotlight niche genre interests and feature rare content not widely available. Services like Shudder, Arrow, Shout! Factory, and Screambox have all seen significant growth by catering to genre fans with programming tailored to their interests.

Swedish home video label Klub Super 8 will launch the global subscription OTT service Cultpix in summer 2021. The service will feature over 400 cult classic and vintage films and television series, and will also debut a weekly podcast highlighting unique content. The library is expected to double in size by the end of the year.

Co-founder Patrick von Sychowski stated that “there’s been a significant gap in the streaming market for older genre films that don’t conform to the broad mainstream.” Cultpix is currently available for $49 yearly on an invitation-only basis and will be available for $59 per year or $6.66 monthly for all users over the summer.

Data from Parks Associates indicates that users have increased the number of OTT services they subscribe to, with 31% of OTT subscribers using 4 or more services. Genre fans looking for more niche content options not offered on the leading OTT services have used smaller services like Cultpix to access unique programming.

Cultpix is well-positioned to take advantage of this audience and shouldn’t face issues in convincing them to subscribe to a paid service. Co-founder Rickard Gramfors stated the service aims to be a “global community for all genre film fans” and the appeal to a worldwide community is unique among genre OTT services. Cultpix is a recognizable home video brand internationally that has an established appeal to fans of rare and obscure films.

Cultpix’s goal to double its content library within its first year of launch is attainable. Distribution deals for pre-1990s vintage films aren’t likely to be in demand by other streaming services and Cultpix should be able to add additional content rapidly.

Cultpix’s content is unlikely to have crossover appeal to viewers outside of niche genre circles, so broadening the potential audience is the best way to maximize viewership. The weekly podcast is a good way to both spotlight new titles and interact with users directly, and Cultpix may consider adding additional interactive elements in order to encourage growth. Cultpix’s success will be determined by the growth of a loyal community willing to incorporate the service within their subscription stack.

For a deeper look at the OTT video space, please check out the Parks Associates’ OTT Video Market Tracker.

For more information about Parks Associates research, visit http://www.parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113.