FilmChain - Blockchain-based Payment Automation
Sector: Tertiary sector · Industry: Film and music industry · Organisation: FilmChain Ltd. · Maturity level: Production
FilmChain Ltd. is a British fintech startup that has been using blockchain technology since 2018 to automate payments and settlements in the film, TV and gaming industry. The company already operates live in the UK, Europe and Australia with over 1900 customers and plans to expand to North America. Through a private Ethereum blockchain combined with smart contracts, transparent payment allocations and auditability for producers, artists and other stakeholders are enabled.
Documentation status
- Project status: Production
- Evidence: Evidence high
- Editorial review: Ufuk Avci, 15 April 2026
Description
FilmChain was officially launched in 2018 at the Berlinale by Romanian-born co-founders Maria Tanjala and Irina Albita (parent company: Big Couch, London). The platform uses a private Ethereum blockchain combined with fintech APIs and digital banking partnerships. Smart contracts digitally represent the Collection Account Management Agreement (CAMA) — as soon as revenues come in, they are immediately split according to predefined rules.
The core problem of the film finance industry: revenue distributions take 6–12 months, reports come semi-annually, and for 75% of British films (budget under 1.5 million GBP) there is no collection account service because it is too expensive. FilmChain solves this through full automation: distributors pay as usual into a collection account. Once money arrives, the banking system automatically communicates with FilmChain’s system, triggering smart contracts to split the funds: producers, investors, sales agents, crew members, talents receive their share immediately. All stakeholders can access real-time reports on demand. In 2023, FilmChain started a partnership with the German Producers Association (Produzentenverband): a bespoke reporting platform enables German producers to report revenue and audience data directly to content creators. April 2024: 3 million dollars seed funding (Holt IntersXion Fund, HearstLab, Roca X, DeBa Ventures, TechAngels Romania). Over 1,900 customers in the UK, Europe, and Australia. Expansion to North America planned.
Perspectives
B2B — organisations perspective
Producers, sales agents, and investors receive real-time transparency over revenues from all territories — without manual aggregation, without waiting times, without collection account agents taking 5–10% of revenues.
B2C — consumers perspective
Crew members and talents with deferments or profit shares can see on demand how much money is in their account — instead of waiting semi-annually for reports that are often incomplete or delayed.
Employees perspective
Employees in media company finance departments can free themselves from time-consuming manual calculations and focus on more strategic tasks. Creatives and artists gain faster access to detailed revenue reports and can track their royalties promptly.
Benefits
General
- Automation eliminates manual effort and reduces sources of error in complex billing processes.
- Transparent blockchain records build trust among all participants in the value chain.
- Faster payment processing improves liquidity for creatives and smaller production companies.
B2B — organisations
- Significant reduction of administrative costs through automation of time-consuming billing processes.
B2C — consumers
- Consumers benefit from more stable project financing and potentially more innovative ticketing solutions.
Employees
- Employees can free themselves from repetitive manual tasks and take on more strategic activities.
Challenges
General
- Integration with existing legacy systems requires significant technical effort and expertise.
- Legal adjustments to different jurisdictions and copyright laws are complex and time-consuming.
B2B — organisations
- Companies must fundamentally revise existing contracts and business processes to enable blockchain-based automation.
Employees
- Employees need training in new digital processes and must adapt to more transparent working methods.
Technology foundation
FilmChain uses a private Ethereum blockchain combined with its own fintech architecture and APIs for automated payment processing. Smart contracts handle payment allocation and ensure transparency, auditability, and ownership tracking in the complex value chain of the entertainment industry.
Implementation examples
German Producers Association partnership
German film producers needed a solution for more transparent and efficient billing of their complex financing structures. Traditional manual processes led to delayed payments and made tracking revenues from various distribution channels difficult.
The German Producers Association implemented a strategic partnership with FilmChain in 2023 for customised reporting platforms.
Since 2023, FilmChain has been working with the German Producers Association to develop a specially tailored reporting platform for revenue and audience tracking. This partnership enables German producers to access automated billing systems and transparent revenue reports. The solution addresses the specific requirements of the German market and takes local legal frameworks into account.
The partnership resolved issues with non-transparent billing and delayed payments to stakeholders. Additionally, compliance with German copyright and tax laws was improved through the customised platform.
Tags
Payment Automation, Smart Contracts, Transparency, Royalties, Fintech