What is Content Acquisition?

What are the main legal barriers involved in the content acquisition process?

There are several laws that help content owners protect their assets from misuse. Notable examples include patents, database rights and trademarks. Therefore, before content can be legally acquired and distributed to an audience, a series of legal steps must be followed.

Generally, these legal steps tend to include the following.  

Rights: This refers to the legal permissions granted by content owners or creators to use their intellectual property. For example, Disney + had to purchase the rights of Keeping Up with the Kardashians to publish each season onto their video-on-demand platform.  

Licensing: To license content means obtaining legal permission from content owners to use their content under specific terms and conditions. Licensing agreements outline the scope of usage, duration, territories, and any associated fees.

Territorial Rights: These define the specific geographic regions where content can be distributed. Acquiring content may involve negotiating rights for different territories to reach a global audience. This is why the films available via Netflix can vary based on a viewer's geographical location.

Negotiation: This is where all aspects come into play, negotiation is the process of discussing and finalising the terms of content acquisition with content owners. This involves reaching agreements on rights, licensing conditions, territorial permissions, and any other considerations to ensure a mutual understanding with the content owner and acquiring entity.

Are there any other steps required prior to acquiring content?

Yes, there are a few other important steps that may be required prior to acquiring content, which typically include the below. ‍

Content Evaluation: allows you to identify whether content is suitable for your intended audience and ensures that your content appeals to your intended audience.  

Downlinking: This is essential as it facilitates the transfer of acquired content from its source to a designated digital storage or destination, enabling further processing, distribution, and utilisation. ‍

Technology and Distribution Planning: This is to ensure that the acquired content is suitable for specific platforms or tech stacks. Content needs to be in the correct format, optimising it for various devices and screen sizes, and planning for efficient delivery methods.