Case Studies
Case Study: Entering New Markets
Situation:
Amid the fierce competition of the streaming wars, where countless undifferentiated platforms vie for attention, Lionel and Ben Dreshaj, New York-based entrepreneurs and experienced OTT platform founders, identified a gap in the market. Drawing on their expertise in building successful streaming platforms from the ground up, they saw an opportunity to serve a niche that existing services were neglecting.
Their vision was clear: to create a platform that catered to immigrant communities living in the U.S. and Canada, offering free, native language content that would resonate with underserved audiences. At the same time, they wanted to provide a much-needed outlet for independent filmmakers around the world—offering them a way to showcase their unique content, distribute their films, and earn revenue through an innovative AVOD (Advertising Video-on-Demand) revenue share business model.
With this dual purpose in mind, Lionel and Ben conceptualized UVOtv—a platform that not only bridges cultural gaps but also champions independent cinema. The idea was grounded in their deep understanding of the industry and a commitment to creating something both meaningful and commercially viable.
This led to two needs: First they needed to build a content library by attracting international filmmakers and their movies, providing distribution and monetization opportunities for undiscovered, independent films. Then, they needed a detailed plan to reach their desired consumers. Critically, UVOtv needed to find a way to stand out from the competition in an overcrowded space.
To achieve their goals, Lionel and Ben enlisted Fortitude as a forward-thinking marketing consultancy that understood the UVOtv model, and the dream, to help them execute the launch.
Solution:
Fortitude, in collaboration with the UVOtv team, started to build a strategy that incorporated market research, brand positioning, and comprehensive marketing communication plans for each segment UVOtv aimed to serve.
Our first step was to help establish a strategic business launch plan for UVOtv, which included a deep analysis of the evolving streaming landscape to clearly define the UVOtv value proposition – both to consumers AND filmmakers.
Next, we analyzed which diasporas were the right ones to target, ensuring the international groups were large enough to create value and had enough content to satisfy the consumer segment.
We then created an integrated strategic marketing plan to build brand awareness among our previously identified target audiences, including a mission, vision, and value proposition, taglines and messaging to target both consumers as well as filmmakers. Finally, we delivered a tactical, targeted media plan for paid, owned, and earned marketing channels.
Results:
With a dual strategy marketing plan in hand, UVOtv was successfully launched across the US and Canada as “A New Home for International Film” to prospective filmmakers. For consumers, UVOtv’s tagline “Welcome Home” was born.
In addition to over a thousand international films, the platform now offers live TV channels from across the world. UVOtv is available on iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Smart TVs and other streaming and smart devices.