Maximising Attendee Experience

As SXSW continues to grow, high content volumes present a challenge for press and industry representatives looking to screen as many films as possible. A trusted video-on-demand (VOD) platform helps this established festival create a customised online experience to maximise attendance, allowing invited audiences to watch films when and where they want.

“There is such a wonderful collaboration, and [we felt that] Shift72 really heard and understood what our needs were. [We] as an entity could step back and not have to feel like we were hands-on because we’re so heads-deep into putting on the event. We felt like it was delivered and it exceeded our expectations.”

- Gabe Van Amburgh, Film Exhibition Manager & Short Film Programmer

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About SXSW

South by Southwest (SXSW) has grown into the premier destination for global professionals to gather and celebrate ingenuity in film, music, tech, and moreover a nine-day event. 

As the festival expands in both scope and content, the growing number of films screened makes it impossible to attend every viewing. SXSW recognised an opportunity to innovate their festival’s relationship with press and industry representatives by securely sharing content in an exclusive VOD platform, allowing for more coverage.

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Opportunity to Expand Reach 

Shift72’s reputation with distributors and customisable VOD platform made for an excellent partnership with SXSW’s film festival to introduce an exclusive hybrid model available to press and industry representatives. 

Shift72 provided: 

• Ability to accelerate guests by invitation only
• Filmmaker control over content sharing for press and industry, enhancing market exposure
• HTML5 video player and Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABS) to maintain quality
• Studio Grade Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• Visible and Forensic Watermarking for added security

“[We’ve been] using Shift72 online video platform for SXSW Film Festival and have received excellent feedback from filmmakers and industry guests alike. We’ve also received excellent tech support before, during, and after our event.”

- SXSW

Looking Forward 

Initial success with their secure press and industry screening room has led to a long-term partnership with Shift72 that has ensured continuity and ease of use in their exclusive press and industry screening room.

SXSW continues to exemplify the innovative spirit of their festival by making the entire affair hybrid in 2021, digitally offering:

• Access to their curated film festival
• Interactive chats with filmmakers
• Live panel discussions
• Live music and theatre 
• Meetups
• Special events

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