Tënk

What Tënk does

Tënk is a Montreal-based subscription video-on-demand platform dedicated exclusively to independent and auteur documentary cinema, serving French-speaking viewers primarily in Quebec and Canada. Founded in 2020 and operating with fewer than 10 employees, the company delivers a rotating SVOD catalog of approximately 40 documentaries at any given time, refreshed weekly with four new films every Friday, each title available within the subscription for roughly two months. A complementary TVOD rental catalog of over 750 additional rare documentary works is offered at $3 per 48-hour rental, with revenue split evenly between Tënk and rights holders ($1.50 each).

The technology stack is a standard consumer streaming build: a web application accessible via browser, plus native apps for Android TV and Apple TV. Discovery is editorial rather than algorithmic — themed "parcours" (curated journeys) and individually credited programmers (e.g., Naomie Décarie-Daigneault) drive selection. Free programming tiers address newcomers to Quebec and children aged 8–15, functioning as top-of-funnel acquisition. The platform supports a 7-day free trial and an annual subscription billing cadence.

Tënk's commercial model combines recurring subscription revenue with transactional rental revenue, supplemented by institutional affiliations with Quebec cultural agencies (BECT, Téléfilm Canada, CALQ, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) and the cinema organization Cinéma Autrement Montréal. Distribution is direct-to-consumer only; there is no disclosed B2B channel, no advertising line, no disclosed funding rounds, and no reported revenue. The company's growth posture is defined by product iteration — connected-TV expansion, promotional pricing, and free content tiers — rather than by geographic or vertical scaling.

Name

Tënk

Legal name

Tënk

Website

https://www.tenk.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Tënk is a Montreal-based subscription and rental streaming platform for independent and auteur documentary films, serving French-speaking viewers in Quebec with a rotating catalog of ~40 SVOD titles and 750+ TVOD rentals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Documentary Video Streaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

SVOD Streaming Channels (Subscription OTT) (MPABAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Video Streaming Platforms (SVOD/AVOD/TVOD) (BPAMAJAA)

Keywords

• Documentary streaming
• Video on demand
• Subscription platform
• Independent films
• Curated content

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SVOD Subscription: Monthly and annual subscription providing access to approximately 40 documentaries in the rotating SVOD catalog. Each week, 5 films enter the catalog and 5 leave, with 4 new films added every Friday. Films are available for 2 months in the subscription catalog.
2. TVOD Rental: Transactional video-on-demand rentals at $3 per film for 48 hours. After films exit the SVOD catalog, many remain available for rental. Revenue split: $1.50 to rights holders (producers, directors, distributors) and $1.50 to Tënk.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Tënk is a curated documentary streaming platform that provides access to creative and auteur documentary films through two main services: an SVOD subscription offering access to approximately 40 rotating documentaries (renewed weekly with 4 new films every Friday, each available for 2 months) and a TVOD rental library of more than 750 rare documentary films available for $3 per 48-hour rental. The platform is accessible via web browser, Android TV, and Apple TV, and includes free curated programming for newcomers to Quebec and children aged 8-15.

Product overview

Tënk is a Canadian documentary streaming platform built around two interconnected services: the SVOD subscription providing approximately 40 curated documentaries available at any time (renewed weekly with 4 new films every Friday), and a TVOD rental service offering over 750 additional documentary films for $3 per 48-hour rental. The platform also features free curated content and specialized programming for children. Films are accessible via web browser, Android TV, and Apple TV applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tënk SVOD Subscription Subscription-based documentary streaming service providing access to approximately 40 curated documentaries available at any given time, renewed weekly with 4 new films added every Friday and each film available for approximately 2 months in the catalogue. Targets individual documentary film enthusiasts seeking creative and independent cinema.
• Tënk TVOD Rental Transactional video-on-demand rental service offering more than 750 documentary films for $3 per 48-hour rental window, with $1.50 paid to rights holders (producers, directors, distributors) and $1.50 retained by Tënk. Targets viewers seeking rare and festival-quality documentaries not available in the rotating SVOD catalogue.
• Tënk Free Content Curated selection of free documentaries accessible without a subscription, including programming designed to introduce newcomers to Quebec (nouveaux arrivants) to local culture and other thematic collections. Targets cultural integration audiences and prospective paid subscribers.
• Tënk Children's Documentary Parcours Free educational documentary pathways (parcours) designed for children aged 8 to 15, introducing them to documentary filmmaking through curated thematic journeys. Targets families and educators seeking quality documentary content for young audiences.
• Tënk Connected TV Apps (Android TV and Apple TV) Native applications for Android TV and Apple TV (tvOS) that extend the Tënk streaming experience to connected televisions and home entertainment setups, allowing subscribers and renters to watch curated documentaries on the big screen.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BECT (Bureau de la certification technique)minorOthersBECT is a Quebec media certification body. Tënk's partnership with BECT indicates alignment with Quebec media industry standards and certification requirements.
• CAM (CinémaAutrementMontréal)minorOthersCAM appears in the partner logos, suggesting collaboration with Montreal-based cinema organizations.
• Téléfilm CanadaminorOthersAppears in partner logos indicating support or collaboration with Canada's federal film funding agency.
• CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec)minorOthersPartner logo indicates collaboration with Quebec arts council supporting literary and artistic creation.
• Caisse de dépôt et placement du QuébecminorOthersMajor Quebec institutional investor appears in partner logos, suggesting financial or investment relationship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MUBI: MUBI is a curated SVOD service focused on independent, art-house, and classic cinema with a daily-rotating catalog and TVOD add-on. It is the closest direct peer to Tënk in model (curated indie film SVOD + rental) and audience (cinephiles seeking non-mainstream work).
• The Criterion Channel: The Criterion Channel is a curated SVOD service from the Criterion Collection featuring classic, art-house, and independent films, plus a deep library of bonus features. Like Tënk, it differentiates on editorial curation and access to rare cinema rather than breadth.
• MagellanTV: MagellanTV is a subscription streaming service dedicated exclusively to documentaries, with deep categorization by topic. It is the closest documentary-only SVOD comparable to Tënk in audience and value proposition.
• Curiosity Stream: Curiosity Stream is a SVOD platform focused on factual and documentary content founded by Discovery's John Hendricks. It competes for documentary viewers and offers a comparable subscription-based model.

Emerging players

• DocPlay: DocPlay is a documentary-focused streaming service offering SVOD and rental options for independent and festival documentaries. It overlaps with Tënk on documentary curation and rental-style access.
• OVID.tv: OVID.tv is an independent SVOD platform featuring curated documentary, indie, and art-house films from distributor partners. It overlaps with Tënk on curated indie-documentary SVOD positioning and filmmaker-friendly curation.

Broad incumbents

• Netflix: Netflix is a global general-entertainment SVOD incumbent that has invested heavily in original documentaries. While not a niche competitor, it competes for the same entertainment wallet and can crowd out specialty services.
• Amazon Prime Video: Amazon Prime Video is a broad SVOD/TVOD incumbent offering subscription access plus transactional rentals across mainstream and independent films, including documentaries.
• Apple TV+: Apple TV+ is Apple's subscription streaming service with growing documentary investment, and also operates a TVOD rental storefront for independent films via the Apple TV app distribution channel.

Others

• DAZN: DAZN is a subscription-based niche streaming service (sports) demonstrating the viability of verticalized SVOD models. It is relevant to Tënk as a comparable subscription-only vertical streamer archetype rather than as a content competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tenk.ca

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 Tënk