ITEM 1. BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
Cineverse Corp. (“Cineverse”, “us”, “our”, "we", and “Company” refers to Cineverse Corp. and its subsidiaries unless the context otherwise requires) was incorporated in Delaware on March 31, 2000.
The Company has a long legacy in using technology to transform the entertainment industry and played a pioneering role in transitioning movie screens from traditional analog film prints to digital distribution. Over the past several years, Cineverse has transformed itself from being a digital cinema equipment and physical content distributor to a leading independent streaming company, and we continue to push the bounds of our industry with innovative technology offerings.
Cineverse is a premier streaming technology and entertainment company with its core business operating as (i) a portfolio of owned and operated streaming channels with enthusiast fan bases; (ii) a large-scale global aggregator and full-service distributor of feature films and television programs; and (iii) a proprietary technology software-as-a-service platform for over-the-top (“OTT”) app development and content distribution through subscription video-on-demand ("SVOD"), dedicated ad-supported ("AVOD"), ad-supported streaming linear ("FAST") channels, social video streaming services, and audio podcasts. Our streaming channels reach audiences in several distinct ways: direct-to-consumer, through these major application platforms, and through third-party distributors of content on platforms.
The Company’s streaming technology platform, known as MatchpointTM, is a software-based streaming operating platform which provides clients with AVOD, SVOD, transactional video on demand ("TVOD") and linear capabilities, automates the distribution of content, and features a robust data analytics platform.
We distribute products for major brands such as Hallmark, ITV, Nelvana, ZDF, Konami, NFL and Highlander, as well as leading international and domestic content creators, movie producers, television producers and other short-form digital content producers. We collaborate with producers, major brands and other content owners to market, source, curate and distribute quality content to targeted audiences through (i) existing and emerging digital home entertainment platforms, including but not limited to Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Xbox, Pluto, and Tubi, as well as (ii) physical goods, including DVD and Blu-ray Discs.
Cineverse’s broad portfolio enables the Company to achieve significant market share on key consumer streaming devices and platforms. As its channel portfolio has grown, the Company’s viewership and subscription metrics have grown significantly. The Company has rights to a library of over 71,000 film and TV assets, has reached over 82 million streaming viewers, has over 1.4 million SVOD subscribers, and 25 million followers on social media. The Company is well positioned in a changing media and entertainment landscape. As a leading independent distributor, the Company believes the enthusiast segment provides a significant and underserved market opportunity on a global basis. Today, the Company operates channels in numerous specialty sectors, including faith and family, anime, action, horror, sports, Westerns, Asian, standup comedy, and other major segments. From time to time, the Company will cease operating or distributing channels that do not find adequate audiences or meet the needs of platforms or audiences. We believe our scaled channel portfolio, our superior capabilities in launching and managing channels at scale, and our strategic partnerships with key content owners and platforms will provide us with a strategic advantage to gain considerable market share in the immediate future.
Given our extensive experience in operating and distributing enthusiast content, and the ability to centralize operations and reduce operating costs due to our proprietary technology, the Company also pursues accretive mergers and acquisitions ("M&A") opportunities in order to grow profitably and fortify its competitive advantage.
As part of its M&A strategy, the Company:
•focuses on acquiring premium content and streaming channels;
•explores opportunities for new technology and other revenue channels including e-commerce, podcasts and merchandise; and
•leverages its proprietary tech platform (MatchpointTM), which allows for on-boarding multiple acquisitions concurrently.
The Company believes it is positioned to deliver sustained profitable growth in the future by executing on several key initiatives:
• Content: Acquiring and distributing high-quality, curated content through SVOD, AVOD and linear FAST channels
• Technology and Distribution:
oExpanding streaming content business through its Matchpoint™ platform,
oLaunching and scaling our portfolio of enthusiast streaming channels.
oAccelerating the Company’s device and platform reach and further establishing key strategic advantages through expanded partnership deals with connected streaming TV companies including Amazon, Samsung, Roku, YouTube TV and Vizio, as well as large OEM’s, cable companies and technology platforms including LG, Sling TV, and others.
oLicensing film and TV content to leading players in OTT streaming ecosystem with Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google.
• Audience: Growing viewership and subscription numbers significantly beyond our current base of more than 82 million monthly viewers to potentially hundreds of millions of global viewers across billions of connected devices.
• Financial Performance/Metrics:
oDriving EBITDA through incremental revenue growth from technology product launches such as Matchpoint™, expansion of distribution, improved monetization and partnerships, and continuous efforts on cost mitigation.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “CNVS.”
Our Strategy
The shift from traditional entertainment consumption to streaming continues to accelerate. We believe that our large library of film and television programs, long-standing relationships with digital platforms, state of the art technologies and years of experience operating and growing streaming audiences (collectively, our “Streaming” business) will allow us to continue to build a diversified portfolio of enthusiasts OTT channels that generate recurring revenue streams from advertising, subscriptions and merchandising. We believe that our success, market leadership and scale will continue to attract strong brands and media companies who bring name recognition, high-quality film and television content, and strong marketing support.
We believe that we are well positioned to succeed in the streaming channel business for the following key reasons:
•More than 15 years of experience as a primary distributor of content to scale third-party OTT platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Tubi, Apple iTunes and more, and nearly seven years of history operating OTT channels with millions of downloads, hundreds of thousands of registered users, and hundreds of millions of discrete data points on our customer’s behavior and preferences;
•The depth and breadth of our over 71,000 title film and television episode library;
•Our digital assets and deep, long-standing relationships as launch partners that cover the major digital platforms and devices;
•Our marketing expertise;
•Our flexible releasing strategies, which differ from larger entertainment companies that need to protect their legacy businesses;
•Our proprietary streaming technology enables us to operate at scale and at lower operating costs than our competitors; and
•Our experienced management team.
Intellectual Property
We own certain copyrights, trademarks and Internet domain names in connection with our business. We view these proprietary rights as valuable assets. We maintain registrations, where appropriate, to protect them and monitor them on an ongoing basis.
ENVIRONMENTAL
The nature of our business does not subject us to environmental laws in any material manner.
EMPLOYEES
As of March 31, 2025, we had 218 employees, 213 full-time and 5 part time, on-leave, or temporary. Of these employees, 127 are in operations, 40 are in sales and marketing, and 51 are in executive, finance, technology and administrative functions. There are 101 employees based in the United States and 117 employees based in India.
AVAILABLE INFORMATION
Our Internet website address is www.cineverse.com. We will make available, free of charge at the “Investor Relations - Financial Information” section of our website, our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, proxy statements and all amendments to those reports and statements filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after such reports are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.
In addition, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding companies that file electronically with the SEC. This information is available at www.sec.gov.