Skip to content
English
Login/Get Started
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Scheduled Release Date

How to request a scheduled release date for your title.

In this guide:

What is a Scheduled Release Date

A scheduled release date coordinates the pitch and delivery of your title to select transactional (TVOD) channels around a target date you choose. If your title qualifies to be pitched, we include your target date in the pitch and delivery to those channels.

A scheduled release date covers one transactional release. It doesn't apply to ad-supported or subscription channels: those channels don't offer release-date coordination, so you can set their license start date to match your transactional date, or later, for a windowed release.

Is a Scheduled Release Date Right for Your Title

A scheduled release date works best when you have a dedicated marketing budget, typically $50K or more, and a strategy built around driving audiences to your transactional window. That could be a paid campaign, a press push, or a timed marketing event tied to your release.

If you don't have a marketing plan or budget behind the release, we recommend licensing your title widely across all available channels instead. Windowing a title away from ad-supported and subscription channels without demand-driving activity behind the transactional window reduces your title's reach without an offsetting benefit.

A scheduled release date is a tradeoff: you're exchanging broader, immediate distribution for a coordinated, marketing-driven launch.

Eligibility requirements

Confirm your title meets these requirements before you request a scheduled release date:

  • Title type: Full-length movies and full-length shows. We don't currently support titles under 45 minutes.
  • Supported channels for movies: Amazon (TVOD), Apple TV, Google TVOD, and Fandango.
  • Supported channels for shows: Amazon (TVOD).
  • Ad-supported and subscription channels: Not included. These channels don't offer release-date coordination.
  • QC timing: Your title must pass Premium Quality Control (QC) at least 75 days before your target release date, with all required information complete. Most channels need this minimum; Amazon Prime Video may need more. Shows typically take longer than movies to clear the channel’s QC process, since channels review each episode individually, so build in extra lead time.
  • Set your release date: Before you submit your title to QC, set your release date in the title's Avails. Once a date is set and pitches begin, the release date cannot be changed.
  • Notify your Acquisitions Executive of your intended release date before you submit your title. Our team will help make sure it's positioned correctly.

What We Guarantee, and What We Don't

We'll include your target release date in the pitch and delivery to qualifying channels, and we'll notify channels of your intended date. Beyond that, several things sit outside our control:

  • We can't guarantee we'll pitch your title to any specific channel. Every title needs to align with that channel's programming and curation guidelines.
  • We can't guarantee a channel will license your title once we pitch it. Channels hold final discretion over what they license to their platform.
  • We can't guarantee that, if licensed, a channel will honor your target date. Channel operations can slip, through no fault of ours.
  • We can't guarantee specific territory availability. Channels decide where a title becomes available based on the countries you've indicated in your Avails. Localized assets can help your case, but they don't guarantee placement. See captions requirements.
  • We can't guarantee transactional pricing. Channels can adjust buy and rent pricing even when you request a custom price. Learn more about transactional pricing.

Channel-specific notes

Apple TV enforces stricter technical and creative standards than our Premium QC verification process. If your scheduled release includes Apple TV, your title goes through an additional layer of QC from our team once it's licensed, beyond your initial Premium QC check, to confirm it aligns with Apple's standards. This step can surface issues that didn't come up during Premium QC. If these issues are not resolved, we won't be able to deliver your title to Apple.

Confirm your assets meet the following before you commit to a scheduled release date that includes Apple TV:

  • Language: English-language main video and English captions only.
  • Artwork: No nudity, hate symbols, violence, alcohol, drugs, sex, gore, weaponry, or pixelation. No credit blocks, quotes, awards, festival laurels, pricing, availability, ratings, URLs, social handles, hashtags, or references to other platforms.
  • Trailer: No nudity, sex, logos, release-date call-outs, watermarks, ratings or certificates, or legal disclaimers. Your trailer needs to match your main video exactly.
  • Technical:
    • Must be Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD. No H.264, MPEG-2, or other codecs
    • No interlacing, blended frames, banding
    • Heavy usage of mixed media or archival footage may increase the chance of Apple rejection

Google TVOD reviews titles through its own delivery partner, separate from our Premium QC verification process. If your scheduled release includes Google TVOD, your title goes through an additional review from Google's delivery partner, beyond your initial Premium QC check. This step can surface issues that didn't come up during Premium QC. If these issues are not resolved, your title's release on Google TVOD may be delayed.

Google TVOD doesn't support pre-orders, so your title won't be available to buy before your release date.

How to request a scheduled release date

The Pro Plan includes one scheduled release date per year. You can also purchase one as a paid Professional Service.

  1. Pro Clients: Notify your Acquisitions Executive of your intended release date before you submit your title.
  2. Non-Pro Clients: Submit a request through Support Form under ‘Professional Services’.
  3. A member of our acquisitions team will follow up to help coordinate your release.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my title need to be a new release to use this service?

  • No. As long as your title hasn't already released to the channels included for its title type, you can include it in a scheduled release.

Can I update my assets after I submit for a scheduled release?

  • We strongly recommend delivering final assets from the start. Scheduled release titles run on a tight timeline to hit your target date, and redeliveries after submission can delay QC and hurt your title's licensing chances.