First Look Media is launching its own niche streaming service, Topic. Here’s what you need to know about the platform and its offerings. As the streaming service wars heat up, it feels like announcements for brand new platforms are being revealed every day. There are, of course, the major established players like Netflix and Amazon Prime, then there’s the recent much-hyped launch of Disney+ and the somewhat quieter reveal of Apple TV+, but then there are also upcoming services courtesy of major corporate media powers, such as WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock. This doesn’t even take into consideration the more niche and exclusive services like Shudder, Britbox, or the Criterion Channel. If streaming is the undeniable future of entertainment then it feels like everyone is getting ready to fight for a sliver of audiences’ attention.
Now, joining this increasingly crowded fray is First Look Media. The media organization, established by eBay founder and entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar, launched in October 2013, selling itself as a platform for "original, independent journalism." Arguably, their most notable work since then has been the political website The Intercept, although First Look has also worked extensively in podcasting and, most recently, film production. They have helped to produce films like the Oscar-winning Spotlight, Leave No Trace, Roman J. Israel, Esq., and Luce. First Look has not been without its fair share of controversies. Reporter Ken Silverstein, who had previously been hired by First Look before resigning, wrote in Politico that the company was "a slowly unfolding disaster, not because of editorial meddling from the top, but because of what I came to believe was epic managerial incompetence." In June of this year, First Look also controversially announced that they had decided to stop funding the online daily cartoonist site The Nib and laid off all its staff.
With Topic, First Look has announced its plans to enter the streaming market, albeit on a much smaller and more specific scale than, say, Netflix. Their press release describes Topic as "a new streaming service curated for a curious and engaged audience seeking smart, provocative and meaningful entertainment." This subscription VOD service will be stocked with licensed and original content, including scripted programming, indie films, foreign language shows, and documentary. This announcement comes after First Look shut down Topic Magazine in summer 2019, with the company's general manager Ryan Chanatry telling Variety, "Video has always been the core of the plan." For many a journalist who knew the perils of the industry's "pivot to video", that point raised a few eyebrows. However, Topic's extreme specificity potentially offers the opportunity to fill a small but dedicated gap in the market.
Topic Streaming Service Release Date: November 21, 2019
The streaming service plans to launch on today, November 21st. This has certainly been a busy month for new subscriber video-on-demand services, between the mammoth North American launch of Disney+ and the curious beginnings of Apple TV+. Granted, those two platforms are intended to be consumed by the biggest audiences possible whereas Topic has no such ambitions, which may help it in the short and long-term.
Topic Streaming Service Cost
First Look announced that Topic will launch with monthly and annual plans, with a cost of $5.99 per month or $60 for the year. That’s obviously quite a bit lower than Netflix’s monthly price and even below the $6.99 monthly fee for Disney+. It’s just a bit higher than Apple TV+ and its $4.99 a month subscription (or free if you recently bought an Apple device). It’s a price point that reflects its niche intents and more exclusive image, one for a certain kind of 20- to 30-something viewer looking for the kind of entertainment they won’t find on the more mainstream platforms.
Topic Streaming Service Devices
Topic will be available to U.S. and Canadian audiences on the company’s own website at Topic.com, as well as via Apple iOS, and tvOS, Android and Amazon Fire. This is pretty much expected for a streaming service these days and offers as wide a reach as possible without forcing potential subscribers to get unnecessary new equipment or platforms.
Topic Streaming Service Regions
As mentioned above, Topic will be available both in the United States and Canada. Their press release makes no indication as to whether or not the service will move into other countries in the near future. It very well could be that this is a soft-launch before an international expansion akin to Disney+, but we don’t know yet.
Topic Streaming Service Movies & TV Shows
As noted in Variety, Topic will eventually move into original programming, which they expect to start premiering later this fall. Upcoming offerings include: Soul City, a horror anthology series shot in New Orleans that centers on the city's folklore, courtesy of directors Coodie and Chike; a talk show hosted by celebrated comedian Maria Bamford that explores mental health through conversations with other comedians; and a brand new comedy series courtesy Mermade digital studios, the production company of Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe). Topic Studios is already home to various films and video projects, including Vice-style political reporting and documentaries, as well as shows by figures like comedian Wyatt Cenac.
The service will launch with over 300 hours of content, much of which is exclusively licensed programming from around the world. Some of the programming that will be available from day one includes:
Pagan Peak/Der Pass: A German drama centered on two detectives who are sent to the Germany-Austria border to investigate a murder scene looked to have been staged like a pagan ritual. As they discover more gruesome bodies, the authorities send them deep into the archaic world of old Alpine superstitions and something darker than they ever could have imagined.
Honour/Heder: Four female partners at a prestigious Swedish law firm known as Heder game fame and notoriety for supporting victims of sex crimes. Acting as much-needed voices against the patriarchy, the quartet faces up against the men who have long profited from the sex industry and exploitation of women within.
Invisible Heroes: Based on a true story, this Finnish drama follows the work of the diplomat Tapani Brotherus and the work he did in saving hundreds of Chilean dissidents from death during the 1973 coup lead by General Augusto Pinochet.
Philharmonia: After a twenty-year break, a celebrated French orchestra conductor returns to Paris to take over as head of the Philharmonia. Hélène, who has been hired against the wishes of the director and musicians, has one season to prove herself as the leader of one of the toughest orchestras in the country.
Enterprice: This British comedy-drama, initially broadcast on BBC iPlayer, follows two young entrepreneurs from South London and their endless attempts to make their brand new delivery service business "Speedi-Kazz", a success. While only four episodes of the show have been broadcast so far, the second season will debut in late 2019.
The Miracle/Il miracolo: An eight-part Italian crime series courtesy of the producers of The Young Pope and My Brilliant Friend. When a Virgin Mary statue is found crying blood in Rome during a police hit on a mafia hideout, a chain of events is set in place that will dramatically and forever alter the worlds of crime, religion, and politics in the country.