Distribution in Focus: Off The Fence’s Stefanie Fischer

With buyers flocking to London TV Screenings and Mip London this week, Broadcast International speaks to Stefanie Fischer, managing director at Off The Fence, about the complexity of financing and why hybrid AVOD/SVOD offers opportunities.

The distribution sector is in a period of both challenge and transformation. While linear broadcasters remain key buyers, their budgets continue to tighten, shifting more focus towards digital-first models. At the same time, global streamers are refining their strategies, moving away from expensive exclusivity deals toward more flexible windowing approaches. This presents both risks and opportunities for distributors, particularly those with high-quality, specialist factual content that can perform well across multiple platforms and territories.

One of the biggest challenges is navigating the increasingly fragmented rights landscape. With streamers moving towards cost efficiency and broadcasters becoming more risk-averse, distributors must structure deals that balance exclusivity with the widest possible reach. Additionally, filling funding gaps for premium content is becoming more difficult, making co-productions and pre-sales essential but also more complex.

The growing demand for specialist factual content presents a significant opportunity. Audiences are increasingly looking for high-quality, knowledge-driven content, and buyers - from global streamers to FAST channels - are responding. The rise of ad-supported platforms and hybrid SVOD/AVOD models is also opening new revenue streams, allowing us to maximize the value of our content across multiple windows.

Buyers are more cautious than ever, prioritizing content with strong audience engagement potential. Streamers are demanding more flexible rights deals rather than full buyouts, and linear broadcasters are increasingly interested in co-financing models to mitigate risk. There’s also a growing emphasis on content that can work across multiple platforms, making adaptability a key consideration in acquisitions.

Growth will come from diversification—expanding into emerging AVOD/FAST markets, forming strategic co-production partnerships, and leveraging data-driven insights to optimize content performance. Additionally, specialist factual content with evergreen appeal, such as science, history, and true crime, continues to attract buyers globally, ensuring long-term value.

While global streamers remain key players, their evolving rights strategies are forcing producers and distributors to rethink financing structures. Streamers are becoming more selective and less willing to fully fund productions, pushing distributors to secure a mix of regional deals, pre-sales, and co-financing to close gaps. This shift requires greater agility in structuring deals, but it also creates more opportunities for content to have multiple life cycles across different platforms.