CHILI

What CHILI does

CHILI, operated by Chili S.p.A., is a Milan-headquartered digital entertainment platform offering movie and TV content on a transactional basis — rent or buy individual titles without a subscription commitment. Founded in 2012, the company serves primarily UK and Italian consumers across a footprint that includes a web storefront (uk.chili.com), native applications on four major app stores (Apple App Store, Google Play, Galaxy Store, Huawei AppGallery), connected TV applications, and Chromecast support. The platform distinguishes itself from subscription streaming services by avoiding monthly fees and offering Home Premiere, a premium feature providing early access to new theatrical releases, alongside a curated Free Movies section for top-of-funnel acquisition.

The company's revenue model is entirely transactional: rentals range from approximately £1.49 to £15.99 with a 28-day window to begin viewing and 48 hours to complete once started, while purchases grant permanent ownership at £3.99–£19.99. Content spans recent theatrical releases, classic films, family and kids programming, TV series, and themed collections. CHILI has attracted strategic capital from major Hollywood studios — Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Warner Bros. participated in its 2016 funding round — alongside Italian private equity firm Antares Private Equity in earlier rounds. The company employs 101–250 people and maintains a registered share capital of €500,000.

CHILI's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer, relying on organic social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), app store discoverability, and curated on-site showcases (Top 10, Deals, themed collections, Home Premiere drops) to drive transactions. The leadership team is led by co-founders Giorgio Tacchia (founder, president, CEO) and Stefano Flamia (co-founder, CTO), with functional heads for sales and product development. No funding activity, revenue figures, or material strategic moves are disclosed after 2016 in the available data.

Name

CHILI

Legal name

Chili S.p.A.

Website

https://uk.chili.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CHILI is a Milan-based digital movie and TV platform offering a subscription-free transactional model where consumers rent or purchase individual titles. It serves primarily UK and Italian markets across web, mobile, and connected TV with premium Home Premiere early-access releases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milano

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Movie Rental: Time-limited rental model where customers pay to stream or download a movie with 28 days to begin viewing and 48 hours to complete viewing once started. Rental prices range from approximately £1.49 to £15.99 depending on title and format.
2. Movie Purchase: Permanent ownership model where customers pay a one-time fee for unlimited access to a movie. Purchase prices range from approximately £3.99 to £19.99 depending on title, format, and whether it's a Home Premiere release.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CHILI is a subscription-free digital movie platform where consumers can rent or purchase films and TV shows on a pay-per-transaction basis. The service offers thousands of titles including new releases through its proprietary Home Premiere early-access feature, supported across Smart TVs, mobile devices, desktops, and Chromecast. Free content sections and a dedicated Kids area supplement the transactional catalog.

Product overview

CHILI is a subscription-free movie streaming and download platform operated by Chili S.p.A., an Italian company based in Milan. The platform offers a transactional model where users can rent or purchase films without a recurring subscription, supplemented by free content sections. Key products include the core streaming platform, the Home Premiere premium early-release feature, a dedicated Kids section, and mobile applications across major app stores. Users have 28 days to start a rental and 48 hours once playback begins, while purchases grant permanent unlimited access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHILI Movie Streaming Platform A subscription-free digital movie and TV streaming and download platform offering thousands of films for rent or purchase, with additional free content sections.
• CHILI Mobile Applications Native mobile applications distributed via Apple App Store, Google Play Store, Samsung Galaxy Store, and Huawei AppGallery for streaming and downloading CHILI content on iOS and Android devices.
• CHILI Smart TV App Connected TV application enabling consumers to browse, rent, purchase, and stream CHILI movies and TV shows directly on Smart TVs.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Apple TV (iTunes Movies): Apple's transactional movie rental and purchase store embedded in Apple TV and iTunes. Competes head-on in TVOD across the same devices CHILI serves (iOS, Apple TV, web) but backed by Apple's hardware and wallet ecosystem.
• YouTube Movies: Google-operated transactional movie rental and purchase store on YouTube. Competes on the same pay-per-title model with the additional advantage of YouTube's massive free discovery traffic.
• Amazon Video (Transactional): Amazon's transactional movie rental and purchase offering runs alongside Prime Video. Same transactional VOD economics as CHILI, with Prime's bundled ecosystem providing a major competitive advantage on discovery and checkout.
• Netflix: Dominant subscription streaming service competing for the same consumer entertainment wallet. While SVOD rather than TVOD, Netflix's expanding film slate directly substitutes for many CHILI use cases.

Others

• Google TV (Google Play Movies):

Regional players

• Cineplex Store: Canadian transactional VOD platform from Cineplex offering movie rentals and purchases. Similar TVOD model to CHILI but focused on the Canadian market rather than Europe.

Direct peers

• Sky Store: UK-focused transactional movie store from Sky, offering rentals and purchases of new releases and catalog titles. Directly comparable to CHILI on geographic focus (UK) and pay-per-title model.
• Rakuten TV: European-focused transactional VOD platform offering movie rentals, purchases, and AVOD. Closest direct competitor to CHILI given overlapping Europe-first footprint and pay-per-transaction model with similar pricing tiers.
• Fandango at Home (Vudu): US transactional VOD platform for renting and buying movies. Comparable transactional model and feature set, though geographically focused on the US rather than Europe.

Emerging players

• Tubi: Free ad-supported streaming service with a large movie library. Competes with CHILI's Free Movies section for casual viewers and represents a substitution risk at the top of the acquisition funnel.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTHlx3lltfEJmzczYlBNNKg
• Facebookfacebook.com/CHILICinemaUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/chilicinemauk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds9 records

Investors5 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CHILI