‘Argentina, 1985’ Producer Axel Kuschevatzky Says Digital Ad Revenue Rises Would Force Streamers To Release Viewing Data — IPI

It won’t be labor union demands or producers that ultimately lead to streamers releasing viewing data, according to prolific Argentine producer Axel Kuschevatzky.

The Infinity Hill partner — whose credits include Golden Globe winner Argentina, 1985, Academy Award winner The Secret in Their Eyes and Cannes Film Festival winner Paulina — was addressing the recent WGA-AMPTP deal during a keynote interview at Madrid’s Iberseries & Platino Industria (IPI) event.

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Part of the WGA’s new deal provides writers with more meaningful streamer residuals. Kuschevatzky said this would be based on confidential viewing data supplied to the union, which would then tally how much a writer is owed. However, it will be advertisers who force the data out into the open, he predicted.

“Most streaming platforms don’t share figures, so we have no idea what’s going on,” he said. “Every now and then you hear things have gone well — you get an espresso rather than a filter coffee.”

However, “If ad sales begin to be a bigger share [of streaming revenues], the streamers will have to show the figures, not because producers or labor unions demand it, but because the advertisers will want to know,” he added. “Once the information is out there, it’s there.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the former Viacom International Studios and Telefonica Studios exec addressed the power balance between studios and producers, saying, “It’s difficult for producers to understand timings, accounting and pricing,” but adding: “We all need a partner.”

Kuschevatzky now runs the LA-based international producer Infinity Hill, which has worked on shows as varied as BBC lockdown drama Staged to Santiago Mitre’s 2022 Academy-nominated Argentina, 1985, which streams on Prime Video. He took a reconciliatory position and joked the idea of a “them against us” situation existing is “said by people who didn’t get hugged enough as children.”

“It’s not them versus us,” he added. “I’ve been lucky to work with almost every studio and platform during my time working in businesses and as indie producer, so if producers have issues, I have an issue as well.”

Kuschevatzky is one of Latin America’s premiere producers, having worked with the likes of Juan José Campanella, Alex de la Iglesia, Pablo Larrain, Pedro Almodovar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas and, Viggo Mortensen.

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