What Filmbankmedia does

Filmbankmedia (legal entity: Filmbank Distributors Limited) is a London-based film licensing company founded in 1986 that operates as a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment UK Limited, Columbia Pictures Corporation Limited, and NT Digital Partners (Non-Theatrical Digital Partners Ltd). The company holds non-theatrical public screening rights on behalf of major Hollywood studios — including Warner Bros., Sony/Columbia, Disney, Universal, Paramount, MGM, A24 — and over 80 independent and Bollywood distributors, giving licensees access to a catalogue of more than 15,000 film titles. It operates across more than 100 countries through dedicated regional websites (UK, UAE/GCC, Spain) and industry partnerships.

The company's core product is the Single Title Screening Licence (STSL), a transactional per-film, per-event licence priced from £89 plus VAT and variable by venue capacity and ticketed status, distributed via a self-serve cloud booking platform (IMACCS) at imaccs.filmbankmedia.com. This is complemented by the Annual Screening Licence (PVSL), a recurring blanket licence for institutions such as care homes, schools, and higher education establishments, priced by sector tariff and venue characteristics. The Content & Technology Solutions offering bundles curated film/TV content with technology delivery for enterprise verticals including hotels, transport (trains, buses), healthcare, maritime, and education. Supporting tools include a Virtual Screening Room (VSR) for hybrid corporate events, a Download Manager for digital content delivery, an Image Bank for promotional assets, and a Disney+ integration for applicable titles.

Filmbankmedia's go-to-market is primarily direct-to-consumer via the self-serve platform for community cinemas, film societies, schools, and care homes, supplemented by direct enterprise sales for Content & Technology clients and channel partnerships with Cinema for All and the Independent Cinema Office in the UK community cinema sector. The company monetises through a mix of transaction fees (STSL), recurring annual subscriptions (PVSL, blanket licences), and professional services-style contracts (corporate VSR, enterprise Content & Technology). Films are typically made available for non-theatrical screening 6–8 weeks after commercial cinema release.

Name

Filmbankmedia

Legal name

Filmbank Distributors Limited

Website

https://filmbankmedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Filmbankmedia is a London-based joint venture (Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, NT Digital Partners) that licenses non-theatrical public screenings of 15,000+ films to community cinemas, schools, care homes, hotels, transport, healthcare, and corporate clients across 100+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-theatrical film licensing

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Distribution (512120)

SIC

Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community) (MPADAJAJ)

Keywords

• Non-theatrical film licensing
• Public screening rights
• Film distribution services
• Content licensing platform
• Community cinema licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Single Title Screening Licence (STSL): Per-film, per-screening license fees based on venue capacity and whether the event is ticketed or non-ticketed. Starting from £89 plus VAT. This is the primary revenue stream for one-off community cinema screenings, outdoor events, and film clubs.
2. Public Video Screening Licence (PVSL): Annual blanket license allowing free screenings of films at premises like care homes, schools, and other venues. Fee calculated based on licensed group size or average weekly footfall.
3. Annual Screening Licence (Blanket Licence): Annual license for organizations to screen multiple films throughout the year. Fee determined by market sector tariffs and venue characteristics.
4. Virtual Screening Room (VSR) for Corporate Events: Virtual and hybrid event screening services for corporate clients, enabling team events with interactive chat features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Filmbankmedia distributes non-theatrical public film screening licences on behalf of major Hollywood studios and independent distributors. Its core commercial product is the Single Title Screening Licence (STSL), a per-film, per-event licence that lets organisations (community cinemas, film clubs, schools, hotels, care homes) lawfully screen a specific title once, with pricing from £89 plus VAT determined by venue capacity and ticketed status. Alongside this it sells the Annual Screening Licence (PVSL), a blanket annual subscription that permits unlimited screenings of participating catalogues within licensed premises such as care homes, schools, and higher education establishments. For enterprise sectors (hotels, transport, healthcare, maritime) it offers a bundled Content & Technology Solutions service combining licensed film/TV content with delivery technology.

Product overview

Filmbankmedia is a film licensing company offering a portfolio of products centred on non-theatrical public screening rights. The core offerings are the Single Title Screening Licence (STSL) for one-off events and the Annual Screening Licence (PVSL) for organisations requiring regular screening access. These are complemented by the Content & Technology Solutions platform serving sectors such as hotels, transport, healthcare, and education. Supporting services include the Virtual Screening Room (VSR) for hybrid/virtual events, a Download Manager for digital content delivery, and an Image Bank for promotional assets. The company represents major Hollywood and independent studios, offering access to over 15,000 film titles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Title Screening Licence (STSL) A public film screening licence that allows organisations to legally screen one film to a public audience at a single event. Covers advertising and ticket sales, with pricing from £89 excl. VAT based on venue capacity and whether the event is ticketed or non-ticketed. Used by community cinemas, film clubs, schools, hotels, outdoor event operators, and other organisations running public film screenings.
• Annual Screening Licence (PVSL / PVS Licence) A blanket annual licence for organisations such as care homes, schools, higher education establishments, and other venues that need to screen films regularly on their premises. Covers unlimited screenings of films from participating distributors on DVD, Blu-ray, or digital download, with the annual fee calculated based on licensed group size or average weekly footfall.
• Content & Technology Solutions A suite of services providing curated film and TV content combined with technology delivery solutions for sectors including hotels, transport (trains, buses), healthcare, maritime, and education. Offered as a bundled content-and-technology engagement rather than a per-title licence, with customers selecting their market and contacting the Filmbankmedia enterprise team directly.
• Virtual Screening Room (VSR) A virtual cinema platform that enables organisations to host remote film screenings with live chat interactivity, supporting hybrid events that combine in-person and virtual attendance. Marketed for corporate team events, virtual team-building, and remote workforce engagement regardless of organisation size.

Quantifiable outcome

• Films often available for community cinema screenings only 6-8 weeks after commercial cinema release

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Cinema for AllcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with Cinema for All, a sponsor of their annual Community Cinema Conference and Film Society of the Year Awards. Previously funded Innovation Awards for film societies and supported the Spotlight programme with BFI Hubs. Cinema for All members receive waived £150 security deposit when opening STSL accounts.
• Independent Cinema Office (ICO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership for Screening Days events held twice yearly, giving film societies and community cinemas opportunities to preview new films for programming. ICO is the primary partner for these industry showcase events in the UK.
• Warner Bros. Entertainment UK LimitedcoreOthersJoint venture partner and major studio represented for non-theatrical licensing. Warner Bros. is one of the three parent companies of Filmbankmedia joint venture alongside Columbia Pictures and NT Digital Partners.
• Columbia Pictures Corporation LimitedcoreOthersJoint venture partner and major studio represented for non-theatrical licensing. Columbia Pictures is one of the three parent companies of Filmbankmedia joint venture.
• NT Digital PartnerscoreOthersJoint venture partner (Non-Theatrical Digital Partners Ltd) in the Filmbankmedia joint venture company alongside Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures.
• DisneymajorTechnology or IntegrationDisney+ integration allows licensees to screen licensed films using Disney+ subscriptions as an alternative delivery method for applicable titles.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Movie Licensing USA (MLUSA): Provides public performance site licenses for movies shown in schools, libraries, daycares, and similar non-theatrical venues. Directly competes with Filmbankmedia's PVSL offering for the same SMB institutional buyer.
• Criterion Pictures USA: Non-theatrical motion picture distributor serving schools, libraries, community groups, and similar institutions in the US with public performance rights and physical media distribution — directly comparable to Filmbankmedia's STSL and content licensing model.
• Swank Motion Pictures: One of the largest non-theatrical film licensing companies in the world, providing public performance licensing for schools, libraries, businesses, and community organizations across North America. Closely comparable business model and customer base to Filmbankmedia in non-theatrical rights distribution.
• Motion Picture Licensing Corporation (MPLC): Global umbrella licensing organization that grants public performance licenses to non-theatrical venues on behalf of studios and rights holders, with a similar blanket-licensing product structure (e.g., Umbrella License) comparable to Filmbankmedia's PVSL Annual Screening Licence.

Regional players

• Filmlight / Event Cinema Association members: Event cinema industry body and affiliated distributors that, like Filmbankmedia, enable curated film screenings in non-traditional venues (cultural centers, churches, community halls). Compete in similar community-cinema license acquisition across specific regions.
• Sundance Institute / Curzon (non-theatrical distributors): Specialized distributors of independent and arthouse films for theatrical and non-theatrical screenings in the UK and Ireland. Compete with Filmbankmedia's 80+ independent distributor relationships for non-theatrical rights to specific catalogues.

Others

• Cinema for All (formerly the British Federation of Film Societies): UK membership body representing community cinemas and film societies. While a strategic partner of Filmbankmedia (deposit waiver, sponsorship), the organization shapes demand for non-theatrical licensing and serves overlapping audience/use cases.
• Independent Cinema Office (ICO): UK organization that supports independent and community cinemas through programming support, screening events, and partnerships. While a partner of Filmbankmedia (ICO Screening Days), ICO influences how community cinemas source programming, making it an adjacent reference peer.

Broad incumbents

• BFI (British Film Institute): National body funding film culture, distribution, and exhibition across the UK. Operates the BFI Film Audience Network and curates screenings, overlapping with Filmbankmedia's community cinema programming mission.
• Netflix / Disney+ direct licensing teams: Studios and streamers that increasingly offer institutional, educational, or commercial screening licenses directly (e.g., Disney+ integration noted in Filmbankmedia data). They represent both a partner channel and a competitive risk for traditional non-theatrical distributors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Filmbankmediadistributors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filmbank-distributors-limited
• Instagraminstagram.com/filmbankmediadistributors
• Xx.com/filmbankmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Filmbankmedia