MOWIES

Mowies is a Medellín, Colombia-based streaming platform focused on the monetization of audio-visual content. Through mowies.com, creators publish their work and earn revenue from each viewer, while viewers who share content they like can also earn from each resulting view. The company positions the platform as a set of tools for filmmakers, comedians and other creators of professional-quality video to build, grow and monetize their audiences, using social distribution and crowd-based distribution models rather than a centrally programmed catalogue.

During the COVID-19 period the company promoted the service as a "virtual theater" for the cultural sector, offering audio-visual works to general audiences at a time when cinemas were closed and live events cancelled. Mowies frames its addressable opportunity within a global creative industry sized at $3.6 trillion, of which roughly $485 billion is attributed to arts and culture.

Business model

Creators upload audio-visual content to the platform and are paid based on paid views; viewers who redistribute content can also earn a share of viewing revenue. The company states that creators retain a high revenue share compared with other platforms.

Revenue is generated from paid viewing of creator content on the platform, with proceeds shared with creators and with viewers who distribute the works.

Traction

As of May 2020, Mowies reported paying creators more than $400,000 in its first 15 months, sales growth of 133% over the preceding six months, more than 1,500 creations from over 30 countries, and over 100,000 monthly active users from 76 countries.

Latest developments

In February 2022 a Latin America impact investing newsletter listed Mowies as raising a USD 4 million seed equity round, of which USD 2 million had been raised to date, with proceeds allocated to operations and international expansion, technology and product, and creator growth.