Pitching

The Pitch Cycle is as follows:

1. At the end of each month, Premiere Digital emails Content Owners a Pitch Alert, which provides important information on the next month’s Pitch Cycle, including the Pitch Submission Date.
2. In the first days of the following month, Content Owners do a Pitch Submission by completing Pitch Submission Sheets for all titles put forward for approval. Films are submitted via online form while TV submissions are submitted via an Excel spreadsheet emailed to Account Managers at [e-mail] or [e-mail].  Pitch Submissions must be submitted between the 1^st day of the month and the Pitch Submission Date, which can be found in the prior month’s Pitch Alert. All assets must be submitted at the time of pitch sheet submission in order for content to be eligible for pitching.
3. By mid-month, Premiere Digital provides each Pitch Platform with an Aggregated Pitch of titles.
4. Pitch Platforms provide Premiere Digital with Pitch Responses (approval or rejection) on submitted titles, which are then communicated back to Content Owners.
5. If a title(s) is accepted by a platform or a number of platforms, the Account Managers will notify the Content Owner via email and send a link to the order entry in Portal.

Pitch Alert:  The Pitch Alert includes important seasonal, retailer-specific and Best Practice information.  Most importantly, it includes the Pitch Submission Date for the next month’s Pitch Cycle.  The Pitch Alert is usually sent on the Friday before the 1^st day of each month, though exact dates may vary.  The Pitch Cycle Alert is the only reminder Content Owners will receive about the upcoming Pitch Cycle and Pitch Submission Date. 

Late Pitch Submissions:  Pitch Submissions received after 5pm Pacific Time on the Pitch Submission Date will not be included in the Aggregated Pitch for that Pitch Month.  These titles will be pushed forward to the Pitch Cycle of the next Pitch Month, with a corresponding push to the next Release Month.  As a Best Practice, Content Owners are encouraged to complete Pitch Submission Sheets well before the end of the month for submission early the following month (usually, within the first two weeks of the month). 

Pitch (Marketing) Decks:  Content Owners are strongly encouraged to upload marketing decks for all pitched titles.  Many Pitch Platforms rely on them heavily to make approval decisions. 

Pitch Approvals:  If a title is accepted by a platform, Premiere Digital and Content Owners are obligated to deliver.  Titles should not be pitched until their assets are ready for delivery and the terms for each platform are understood. 

Pitch Rejections:  A lack of response from Pitch Platforms on any title is considered a rejection.  Content Owners will be charged Pitch Fees for rejected titles if the rejection is due to incomplete or incorrect submissions.

Common Pitch Rejection Errors:  be aware of the following reasons for rejection cited by Digital Platforms:

• General: Platform-specific instructions are listed in each month’s Pitch Alert. These instructions must be followed, or the title(s) will not be pitched.
• Provider: Failure to include full company name.
• Dates: proposing a go-live date prior to the allowed windows described below: 
  • EST - no earlier than 90 days after theatrical release.
  • VOD - no earlier than two weeks after EST.
  • SVOD – no earlier than 90 days after EST or VOD go-live, whichever is earlier.
• Metadata: Incomplete or incorrect metadata (titles, synopses, cast, crew). 
• Film Unique ID#: Suggested naming convention is COMPANY_TITLE.
• Release Category: A title is considered New Release until 12 months after EST or VOD go-live date (whichever is earlier). 
• MPAA Rating: only official MPAA ratings should be included in this field.  “Estimated” or ‘hoped for” ratings will cause the title to be rejected.  Instead, select “Not rated by the MPAA” in the MPAA Rating dropdown menu or use one of the Recommended TV ratings.
• Screener Links: must be included, unexpired, with correct passwords.  Links should be to “appropriate sites” only (e.g., not to sites with adult or X-rated content)   Entering “Pending” or “Coming Soon” in the Screener Links field is not acceptable and will cause the title to be rejected.    
• Trailer Links: Trailer links should not expire or be password-protected.