Curating Fear: Olle Agebro Talks Splatter’s Unique Place in the Streaming World
In an exclusive interview, Olle Agebro, the visionary founder of Splatter, delves into the inspiration and strategy behind his horror-focused streaming service. From his passion for niche genres to the intricacies of curating a diverse collection of horror films, Olle shares his insights on what makes Splatter a unique platform for horror enthusiasts.
What inspired you to create a service dedicated exclusively to horror content?
Horror is one of those genres that have a really engaged community, that is often neglected by the mainstream platforms. Though horror hasn’t been a major genre in my previous projects, talking to audiences with a passion for genre films has convinced me that this is a underserved community that would really love a platform made only for them. Horror might be the most obvious genre, but I’m quite sure that there’s an opportunity for other platforms to reach niche audiences with a similar strategy.
Horror is a diverse genre with many subgenres. How do you curate and categorise the horror content on Splatter to cater to a wide range of horror enthusiasts?
Curation always starts with yourself and your own passion. Personally, I really love elevated horror and Italian Giallo films from the 60’s and 70’s, but it’s also really important to learn to know your audiences. I really like to present and categorise films in ways that might not be obvious to the audience, not only through genres and subgenres but also by trying to curate films in a way that gives the audience new context and perspective. Being a part of the community, hosting events, and participating in forums and Facebook groups, has really given me a better understanding of what the audience is looking for and what’s missing from other platforms.
Can you share some insights into the demographics of your audience?
You might think this would be a platform for 30-45-year-old men, but genre film fans are a surprisingly diverse audience. We’ve got teenagers as well as old ladies among our subscribers. It’s also really fun to learn what films they like the most, I was surprised to see that our classics – films that most of our audience has probably already seen – are among the most watched on the platform.
Original content is increasingly becoming a competitive advantage for streaming platforms. What’s your strategy for producing or acquiring exclusive horror content that sets Splatter apart from others?
The great thing about serving an audience that no one else really cares about is that exclusive films are quite easy to find, simply because the mainstream platforms are not interested in those genres. We won’t look into producing exclusive content in the near future, though by establishing distribution partnerships with similar platforms around the world I think we have a great opportunity to acquire exclusive content that our audience really loves.
With the rise of other streaming services and the competitive landscape, what is your long-term strategy for maintaining and growing your subscriber base in the horror niche?
Our main goal is to simply give our audience films that they cannot find anywhere else, and maintain our focus on this audience. I think the streaming landscape is hugely competitive for the mainstream platforms, but at the same time, there is really no competition at all for niche audiences. If audiences are willing to subscribe to 3-5 services simultaneously I think a few of those will most likely be mainstream platforms, but many subscribers will keep looking for a niche platform to superserve their interests.
Can you share any upcoming or exciting developments or releases that horror fans can look forward to on Splatter in the near future?
We recently released the Canadian lo-fi horror hit Skinamarink – it’s one of those films that really went viral but yet was not seen by a huge audience. I think our audience will really love it.
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If you’re eager to learn more about Splatter and discover how Magine Pro built this horror-focused service on its OTT platform, check out the full case study here. We’ve also shared a sneak peek of the service, offering a behind-the-scenes look at its UX.
Interested in discussing how Magine Pro can help you create and launch a specialized streaming service? Book a meeting with a member of our team today.
Thematic OTT; It’s the future
It doesn’t seem so long ago that the choice of streaming services was straightforward but pretty limited. Today, there are more options than ever before, with over 300 services available in the United States alone. The viewer is arguably well served but not surprisingly overwhelmed.
The viewer’s frustration of having to manage multiple subscriptions to access the content they really want to watch is understandable. So is their request for more (or better) content aggregation, which is logical but not always realistic. At Magine Pro, we believe consumer aggregation is the answer, not content aggregation.
Thematic OTT players that bring people (who share the same interests) together from across the world are the future. Our partners PassionFlix, FlixOlé, and Docsville are examples of this. Each specialises in a particular genre of content as opposed to general mass appeal programs and movies.
Although mainstream players have big budgets and original programming, there’s still plenty of opportunities for niche players to cut through the noise. Thematic OTT services do have an advantage, as mainstream players aren’t ever going to be able to offer enough of the kind of content to fans that niche can. As more mainstream players invest in original content, it also means there’s more existing content available in the market for Niche players to purchase.
Thematic services needn’t overstretch budgets for premium or particularly well-known content though. Our partner PassionFlix offers a library of romantic content and creates original movies and series based on best-selling romance novels. Their success is down to remaining focused on their audience’s specific interest, romance.
Thematic OTT services can also market much more effectively on smaller budgets than big players. They can streamline their efforts by targeting a specific audience (even on a global scale). Social media campaigns are particularly effective at reaching audiences that identify themselves with niche interests.
To find out more about our partners, PassionFlix, FlixOlé, and DocsVille, who operate niche services, head over to our Experience page. You can also find out more about Magine Pro video streaming services, and in particular how we can help you build your own Thematic OTT service, here.
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