London-based group launches Jewish rival to Netflix - The Jewish Chronicle

A London-based group has launched a Jewish film and TV streaming service in the USA, JEWZY.tv, aiming to match the success of Netflix and other providers. Promising “chicken soup for the eyes”, the venture was founded by former Reuters producer Jeremy Wootliff, who is well-known here for his videos for Jewish charities. “We are launching in the USA initially only due to limited funds and the large size of the addressable audience,” he said. But as soon as sponsorship and revenue allows, he added, “we will be in the UK, Israel and elsewhere. The aim is to be a global go-to place for all your movies and TV programmes of interest to Jews.” For an annual subscription of $59.99 (£45), it is offering 100 titles a month, which includes films such as the romcom Dark Horse starring Mia Farrow, The Double with Jesse Eisenberg and the feature documentary about the music produced in Theresienstadt, Defiant Requiem. Other content includes i24 news and current affairs and the entire series of Old Jews Telling Jokes. A survey among potential viewers showed that what people most wanted, he said, was “hidden gems. We go out and find the wonderful movies and TV programmes that have been forgotten over time”. Or may not have enjoyed the exposure they deserved when made. “There is a successful independent movie app called Mubi, it shows 30 movies at any one time, adding and deleting one a day. We’ll be doing something similar and keeping it dynamic,” he said. While “pro-Jewish and pro-Israel”, the company is independent “with no backing from any lobbyists.” Other members of the team include former UJIA chief executive Michael Wegier, who is a director, and Ian Myers, the former consultant director of marketing and communications for the United Synagogue. “With community centres and synagogues forced to curtail their activities as a result of the global pandemic, JEWZY cinema and TV will be a new way to connect to and celebrate our heritage now and long after this crisis,” Mr Wootliff said. He hopes it can also serve as a platform for Jewish charities around the world to post videos. “We want to bring Israel and the diaspora all together and under one roof,” he said.