BASE Awards 2024 Winners

WINNER: Warner Bros. Discovery

Based on combined Physical, EST and VOD volume in 2023, as provided by The Official Charts Company:

Warner Bros. Discovery led across the combined formats in 2023, earning 14.5m units sold across EST, DISC and VOD, with a 21.4% market share for Physical, Film EST and VOD combined. This success was led by films such as Air, Saltburn, Wonka and the award-winning phenomenon, Barbie.

WINNER: Lionsgate UK

Based on combined EST & VOD sales volume, excluding content licensed by major distributors, as provided by The Official Charts Company:

Lionsgate outdid its competition on digital formats in 2023, with a 5.2% market share for film EST and VOD combined across over 2.9 million units sold. Big hitters of 2023 included Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, SAW X, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, and the latest edition in the franchise, John Wick 4.

WINNER: BBC Studios

Based on disc sales volume, excluding content licensed by major distributors, as provided by The Official Charts Company:

BBC Studios was victorious across physical formats in 2023, with an impressive volume share of 5.3% across over 636k units sold. With a number of releases such as the Doctor Who – 60th Anniversary Specials, and The Underwater Menace.

WINNER: Barbie, Warner Bros. Discovery

Based on sales volume across all formats (disc, EST & VOD) in 2023, as provided by The Official Charts Company:

Warner Bros. Discovery took home the 2023 Biggest Title of the Year awards with the phenomenal success of Barbie, with more than 90k units sold on physical and almost 681k units sold on EST and TVOD. Barbie was an incredible success at the Box Office, taking home 95.6m across 2023.

WINNER: Avatar: The Way of Water, The Walt Disney Company

Based on sales volume across disc & EST in 2023, as provided by The Official Charts Company:

The Walt Disney Company took home the 2023 Biggest Title of the Year: Ownership award with the latest instalment in the James Cameron franchise, Avatar: The Way of Water. Avatar: The Way of Water sold 559k units sold across physical and EST.

WINNER: hmv

hmv is the deserved winner tonight as it continues to champion physical formats and support the category. hmv invested heavily in super-serving the High Street and especially entertainment fandoms. This year, the retailer continued its success in offering consumers “only@hmv”, offering a range of exclusive content to fans and collectors alike. After a four year absence, hmv returned to their iconic spot at 363 Oxford Street in November 2023, an iconic high-street hub and space for entertainment recognised and respected by all. The retailer provides shoppers with much-wanted browsing space, time, and incredible range of products, serving physical fans and collectors across all formats from DVD to Blu-ray, 4K UHD and an incredible selection of merchandised goods across franchises and IP.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Frontline Group

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Rarewaves.com

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Zavvi

WINNER: Amazon Prime Video

Amazon Prime Video is the winner of this year’s hard-fought category. The digital retailer continues to promote and lead the market on new release transactional content and support the biggest titles across the year.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Sky Store

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Virgin Media

WINNER: Silk Factory

The judges awarded Silk Factory the Agency of the Year winner due to their exceptional commitment to both their work and their people. As an agency showcasing its culture and emphasising the strong values and relationships it’s built upon, its presentation gave the judges a personal sense of who they are, highlighting diversity, inclusion and nurturing talent. Their creative work delivers great results, leading to overall strong and long-term partnerships. The judges were also impressed by Silk Factory’s focus on climate and conscious recruitment practices, demonstrating their forward-thinking approach and goals.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: STRIKE MEDIA

Strike Media were highly commended for their exceptional creativity, strong culture, and evident passion for the industry. The judges noted that as a smaller agency, they consistently produce impactful work, supported by excellent testimonials from clients and colleagues, and a reputation for delivering value for money. Their commitment to staff welfare, offering excellent benefits and focusing on anti-bullying and harassment training, further demonstrates their dedication to a positive workplace environment.

WINNER: Sky Store VIP Movie Night In

Sky Store Movie Night In won Audience Engagement Initiative of the Year due to the evident hard work and determination behind the campaign. The judges felt the creativity was outstanding for the category, giving the campaign a distinct and engaging personality. It was well-executed across various Sky platforms, showcasing a creative and original concept. The campaign offered a great customer experience, inclusive of multiple elements to create a successful and memorable initiative.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: November Movie Nights, Sony Pictures

“November Movie Nights” earned a Highly Commended recognition for its evidence of hard work and initiative, with the judges impressed by the campaign’s focus on trade-facing elements. The project demonstrated strong teamwork and collaboration, with a well-defined and executed plan, achieving great results and engagement. The judges highlighted the campaign as a cost-effective and practical attempt to raise the profile of lesser-known titles and drive sales. A testament to resourceful budgeting, creative strategies, and title-specific tactics.

COMMENDED: Project Starlight, Prime Video

“Project Starlight” earned a Commended recognition from the judges for its detailed approach to overcoming challenges. The team’s success in navigating difficulties highlights their dedication and focus on strategic direction. The judges appreciated the consumer insight around their strategy, delivering engaging content that kept users coming back. A strong team support was evident throughout the campaign.

WINNER: The Wicker Man, STUDIOCANAL & Digital Factory

For this campaign, STUDIOCANAL took on the challenge of celebrating a classic title, using an exceptionally creative approach to bonus features through the soundtrack, interviews and other imaginative elements. The Wicker Man campaign offered something genuinely new for fans resulting in a fantastic package tailored to a loyal fanbase, offering them a compelling reason to invest.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: I Am Weekender, British Film Institute

I Am Weekender earned a Highly Commended recognition for its thoughtful use of additional content, including a documentary, short videos, a slipcase, postcard, booklet with essays, and an image gallery. Limited to just 2,000 copies, this niche offering performed exceptionally well. The bonus content was well-executed, which reflected BFI’s understanding of the audience. The judges praised the team for creating a package that didn’t need to try too hard to succeed, yet still delivered outstanding results.

COMMENDED: Muriel Box Releases, STUDIOCANAL & Digital Factory

For this release, STUDIOCANAL invested significant effort into creating a well-research and creative package for fans, earning it ‘commended’ by the judges. The team carefully curated the extras, undertaking a time-intensive process that included restoration work and collaboration with the BFI archives. The judges highlighted the discovery and inclusion of previous unseen notes and footage, resulting in a thoughtful and high-quality execution.

WINNER: The Exorcist 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition, Warner Bros. Discovery, Westrock & Bloomsbury Publishing

Warner Bros. Discovery have taken home the award for Best in Class – Blu-ray (incl Blu-ray 4K) due to the exceptional combination of thorough research and a data-driven approach to their creation and marketing of the Exorcist Blu-ray product. With every detail of the packaging designed to enhance the consumer experience, this highlighted a thoughtful consideration of fans and consumers would interact with the product. The judges also highlighted the innovative approach to restoration, influenced by the director’s style, adding a unique twist and flare they appreciated.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: Hannibal, Universal UK & VDMS

The judges were impressed by the effort and creativity that went into the Hannibal release, especially with the typical reliance of UK studios on the US arm for creative assets. The Universal team went beyond simply reproducing what they were given, but added new extras specifically for UK consumers, highlighting dedication and hard work in enhancing the product for their target audience. With outstanding picture and audio quality, mixed with excellent creativity, this product felt like a true labour of love that they judges felt worthy of highly commending.

COMMENDED: Doctor Who The Collection Season 20 Boxset, Pixelogic Media & BBC Studios

The judges were impressed by the BBC’s ability to produce such a high-quality release despite a limited budget for their Doctor Who The Collection Season 20 Boxset. The inclusion of voice-over navigation in the menu was a standout piece for them, significantly enhancing the accessibility for consumers and fans with visual impairments. The BBC’s focus on accessibility throughout was remarkable, with elements that could serve as a model for other home entertainment platforms and future releases.

WINNER: Video Online 2.0, Official Charts

Video Online 2.0 won Best in Class – Insights for exceptional work in integrating data from various insights providers and studies. The tool provides valuable insights into windowing, offering revenue and volume data that can support internal decision-making. The judges chose this project as a worthy winner due to the provision of advanced and actionable technological insights that bring significant value to the Home Entertainment industry.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Home Ents Halo Effect, Kantar & Sony Pictures

The Home Ents Halo Effect earned Highly Commended for its innovative approach to providing actionable insights into consumer behaviour and industry adaptation. Its comprehensive and forward-thinking approach was praised by the judges for driving meaningful industry impact.

COMMENDED: Multiscreens+ Platform Essentials, BB Media

Multiscreens+ Platform Essentials earned a Commended recognition for its dynamic database, providing an overview of the SVOD landscape. The judges felt this function offered value to distributors across both the UK and global markets and a great decision-making tool for companies looking to expand their footprint across markets. The project’s clear objective to enhance forecasting and planning demonstrated significant value within the industry according to the judges.

WINNER: Gladiator - Titans of Cult, Universal Pictures & Scanavo

Gladiator – Titans of Cult won Best in Class: Packaging & Artwork for its overall design and premium product appeal. The project had a great understanding of its consumer preferences and delivering a premium experience, with attention to physical aspects. The use of insights into their consumer attitudes to create a thoughtful approach and design were praised by the judges. The well-crafted and well-designed packaging highlighted to the judges a clear commitment to quality and customer satisfaction, making it a standout winner.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Wicker Man, STUDIOCANAL, Rogue Four Design, Richey Beckett, Sophie Bland

The Wicker Man earned Highly Commended for its creative and fresh approach, presenting something entirely new and unseen by the judges. The project’s innovative rebranding of the title, especially for those who may be unaware of the title, was praised highly by the judges, while it also tapped into fan enthusiasm. Overall, it presented a different look and feel, showing care and creativity in reframing a classic.

COMMENDED: M3GAN 4K Lenticular, OC & Universal Pictures

The judges awarded M3GAN 4K as Commended for its creative campaign, with great concept artwork inspired by viral aspects of the title (the dance). As the campaign transformed a smaller, niche title into a mainstream success, the judges noted the significant value that was created for both the target audience and those consumers outside of this in a broader market through an innovative approach with their 4K release. With strong results, including a full pre-order sell-out, reflecting the campaign’s success, the judges felt this was a highly effective and creative strategy for a great title.

WINNER: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Sony Pictures & DnA PR

The judges felt this campaign was fantastic, showcasing impressive creativity and effective use of partnerships on a limited budget. A highly engaging campaign, with excellent creative elements leading to sustained and well-targeted coverage. The judges appreciated the campaign’s integration of pop culture trends and timely events. They found the traditional PR tactics engaging and were impressed by how the team tackled the challenges of working with a franchise film, managing multiple layers of approval and limited access to talent. The campaign’s creativity and strategic approach made it a standout effort.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Ruben Östlund | A Curzon Collection | Limited Edition, Curzon Film

The judges were impressed by the creativity of this entire campaign, which was awarded ‘highly commended.’ The innovative card game was highlighted, which effectively involved the audience, director and illustrator for social media assets. The execution of the game achieved strong engagement and audience reach on their social channels and impressive figures across various platforms. The judges also noted the campaign’s creativity across their socials which resonated particularly well with art house audiences. The beautifully designed assets and fantastic fan engagement were highly commendable elements of the campaign in particular.

COMMENDED: Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story, Universal Pictures Content Group, Andy Green PR & Ralph

Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story delivered a very strong and creative approach to the brief set, using a variety of strategies to target both core and wider-ranging audiences. The judges were impressed by the scope of assets and channels used, including podcasts, social media and high-profile influencers, which ultimately led to an amplified reach and engagement. The campaign addressed both body-building and mental health topics well, pushing the boundaries and providing education within the UK media. With clear KPIs and an insight-driven approach, the judges felt the campaign performed exceptionally well despite a small budget, demonstrating resourcefulness and creativity.

WINNER: American Sign Language, Deluxe

American Sign Language won the Technical Operations Award for its innovative approach to accessibility. The project used Picture-in-Picture for ASL, offering a unique solution that enhances film accessibility for Deaf and Blind communities. The ingenuity and execution of the team effectively addressed challenges and solutions, highlighting great planning and impact on the judges, with the project marking a major step in improving media accessibility. Finally, the judges highlighted the ability for this technology to be easily interpreted and amalgamated into the UK market with British Sign Language.

techops

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Digital Factory V4, STUDIOCANAL & VDM SAS

The Digital Factory V4 asset management system significantly enhances UX by improving download speeds and overall efficiency. This essential update aids in achieving key goals and was delivered on time and within budget. The brief and presentation to the judges was strong, showcasing an impressive tool that optimises daily use and resource management, successfully addressing challenges and improving the system.

WINNER: The Sidemen Story – Main Netflix Trailer: OC & Pangaea Group

The Sidemen Story – Main Netflix Trailer won Best in Class for Video Asset with its standout creativity and unique approach. The trailer, developed from scratch in close collaboration with directors and producers, captivated the judges and sparked a desire in them to watch and find out more of The Sidemen and their story. The use of humour and emotion in the original graphics and engaging sound design created a memorable experience for the judges, making it a remarkable and highly effective piece of content in its category.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Fast X: NBCUniversal, Charnley Communications & Jeremy Lynch

Fast X earned Highly Commended from the judges for its creativity and clever approach to a video asset. The campaign was fresh, and trend-setting, which likely involved significant challenges in terms of approval. The project demonstrated a well-considered strategy, achieved through hard work and successful collaboration from several parties. Considerable thought was put into ensuring the asset resonated well with the target demographic.

COMMENDED: Saw X – Holiday Assets: Lionsgate UK & Prelude Creative

Saw X received a commendation for its thoroughly detailed entry. The judges appreciated the creative contrast to the classic Christmas market themes, which they felt would land well with the target audience. The campaign was strong in overcoming challenges in its genre with impressive creativity. It was a positive, collaborative effort involving various teams and agencies that utilised great consumer insights to ensure it was relevant and engaging to its audience.

WINNER: The Exorcist 50th Anniversary 4K Remaster: Warner Bros. Discovery

The submission for The Exorcist 50^th Anniversary 4K Remaster was highly praised by the judges for its passion and creativity. Despite a smaller budget, the team achieved standout results with a bespoke approach tailored specifically for the UK market. The situational execution was exceptional, demonstrating bravery and innovation. The campaign showed great strategy and innovation, with well-researched price points and insights. A main factor for the judges was the non-digital approach and the impressive use of social media and events to promote the product.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Wicker Man: STUDIOCANAL

The judges awarded The Wicker Man Highly Commended for its creativity and in-house work. Delivering impressive results from this creative approach, along with a variety of social platforms, music and strong physical products, The Wicker Man met its targets well and provided solid analysis and strategy to ensure this.

COMMENDED: Ghost Stories for Christmas: Volume 2: British Film Institute

Ghost Stories For Christmas: Volume 2 was praised by the judges for its creativity and passion with such a small working budget. Clear strategy and targets, with an emphasis on teamwork, were driving factors in the judges awarding this submission Commended.

WINNER: Universal Special Edition Strategy 2023: Universal Pictures

The judges found this entry exceptional, noting the significant effort put in to make it successful. Universal was particularly innovative in successfully tailoring releases without relying on a back catalogue, forging strong partnerships and making excellent strategic choices. The focus of each campaign, despite the niche nature of the titles, was thoughtful and directed, rather than a scattergun approach to the collection. The focus on building fandom and creating engaging assets was impressive according to the judges because it captured the attention of both dedicated fans and those with some familiarity with the titles. The campaign stood out for its innovation, creativity and persistence, showcasing remarkable tenacity and collaboration, making it a worthy winner.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Multiple (D100/Disney 100th): Elevation Sales

The judges highly commended the team for their sagacious budgeting, leveraging their 100-year history to drive phenomenal results. The campaign was well-aligned with Disney’s brand and ethos, highlighting to the judges a significant effort and achieving fantastic results, driven by strong insights and analysis. The judges also noted the impactful in-store displays, contributing to raising the overall awareness of the category.

WINNER: Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance: Signature Entertainment

The judges praised the campaign for its successful revitalisation of a 20-year-old franchise. It not only drew inspiration from past franchises but also reached out to new audiences and retained existing fans. The strategy for the title was both thorough and detailed, setting ambitious goals and achieving them, by finding new avenues for the title to resonate with both the target audience and a broader market, making it a standout winner for the judges in this category.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: Miller’s Girl: Lionsgate UK

The judges praised the Miller’s Girl campaign for its creativity and ambition. Focusing directly on Jenna Ortega, the campaign exclusively targeted TikTok without splitting the budget across many different platforms. Starting from scratch with no initial profile or a theatrical awareness, the campaign successfully stood out among competing titles released that week. The judges highlighted the strategic focus and creative approach in overcoming these challenges, awarding it Highly Commended.

COMMENDED: How to Have Sex: MUBI

The judges highlighted and appreciated the team’s hard work on this title and its campaign. Despite operating in a challenging environment, they used the subject matter to raise awareness amongst a younger audience. The campaign successfully sparked conversations around consent, demonstrating a strong follow-through from its initial positioning to execution.

COMMENDED: Enys Men: British Film Institute

The judges Commended the campaign for its excellent use of direction and its focus on promoting UK directors and independent British film. They praised the efforts made by the team to maintain a physical presence on Blu-ray, with impressive sales figures, despite the niche market, highlighting the campaign’s effective reach and impact.

WINNER: Evil Dead Rise, STUDIOCANAL

The judges felt that this was a slick, well-executed campaign. The team behind the title demonstrated great budget allocation, using strong partnerships and impactful publicity, with great activations tailored to different audience demographics. The judges loved the inter-departmental teamwork that came together to make this campaign so successful, collectively executing unique tactics that resonated well with the genre fans and establishing new audience connections. Although the campaign had a large budget, the allocation was thoughtful and innovative, and the use of strategic insights drove the campaign to the winning spot for the judges.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: Past Lives, STUDIOCANAL

The judges highlighted this campaign as the only one in the category not based on a franchise or existing IP, praising its smart and thoughtful execution. They recognised the challenges of promoting a foreign-language title with a limited theatrical window, noting that it was among the first of its kind to be released on PVOD. The campaign overcame these challenges through creative partnerships, including the Girls on Top collaboration, which targeted a niche but effective audience. Again, the judges appreciated the campaign’s insight-driven approach, teamwork, and strong results.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Saw X, Lionsgate UK

In highly commending Saw X, the judges note the incredible market research that was both thorough and well-thought-through to ensure the campaign achieved its targets and goals. While the campaign had to fight against franchise fatigue, the team clearly set out aggressive expectations, exceeding these whilst remaining admirably creative. The ‘Hot Sawce’ partnership was a big hit with the judges, and the branding and visuals demonstrated out-of-the-box and innovative thinking.

WINNER: The Equalizer 3: Sony Pictures

The judges praised the submission for its strong situation analysis, strategy, and execution. The campaign was successful in identifying and engaging with the target audience, with judges noting the Men’s Health interview and the clear marketing budget breakdown. The judges felt that the use of an insight-driven strategy and a wide range of media tools and PR initiatives contributed to the title’s campaign success. A well-executed and ambitious campaign with a strong digital set-up and diverse creative executions.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: Five Nights at Freddy’s: Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures’ campaign for Five Nights at Freddy’s was both creative and effective. It demonstrated strong execution, particularly across channels like TikTok, Twitch and YouTube Shorts. The clear situational analysis, engaging PR, digital retailer support, and strong results reflected a highly targeted campaign, all contributing to the judge’s highly commending this entry.

COMMENDED: One Life: Warner Bros. Discovery

The One Life campaign had a strong setup from such a small budget, focusing on fewer channels and executing them well. A clear strategy was evident, using great displays across platforms and social media channels effectively. With a strong retail focus and solid results, the judges felt the campaign’s simplicity and focused approach made full use of the limited budget and was a strong success.

WINNER: John Wick: Chapter 4: Lionsgate UK

The judges felt the campaign for John Wick 4 was highly impressive despite its limited budget. A classy and well-organised approach that effectively targeted their audience and collectors, with a clear strategy led to results that exceeded all expectations and forecasts, highlighting to the judges the team’s understanding of their collector-focused strategy. The campaign demonstrated its goals and targets, with outstanding digital and physical retail setups and effective use of budget to come home as the standout winner of the Over £16m Box Office category.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Super Mario Bros. Movie: Universal Pictures

The Super Mario Bros. Movie campaign stood out to the judges for its undisputed situational analysis and varied media strategy. The judges loved the creativity used across this campaign, with impressive cameos from the talent discussing their favourites characteristics of the title’s characters. As the media and creative strategy excelled, the title demonstrated strong results in a challenging market. For the judges, this title was a great campaign, with strong results and creative tactics to meet and exceed its targets.

COMMENDED: Barbie: Warner Bros. Discovery

The judges felt the Barbie campaign delivered strong standout moments, utilising the pink user interface and collaborative retail partnerships with Sky and Virgin Media. The campaign had a robust strategy, with great ROI and digital sales exceeding all targets. The campaign made sagacious use of consumer behaviour insight leveraging initiatives to appeal to a male audience across physical and digital media. For the judges, the Sky Store initiative was a real highlight of a successful campaign.

WINNER: Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story: Universal Pictures Content Group

Despite a limited budget, the campaign for Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story was skilfully boosted, achieving strong benchmarks and targeting ambitious audiences. Excellent use of partnerships and connections helped fuel the campaign, which delivered fantastic PR and a creative approach. The clever use of insights and research was highlighted by the judges, leading to successful results from a niche audience. The judges felt the campaign’s strength lay in its ability to turn constraints into opportunities, leading to their decision as the winner.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Kevin Bridges: The Overdue Catch-Up Live: Universal Pictures Content Group

The judges praised the team behind Kevin Bridges: The Overdue Catch Up Live for their situational research and analysis, creatively tackling the challenges they faced. With an emphasis on owned and earned marketing elements, along with strong social media content, the team worked collaboratively to secure great overall coverage. The campaign played to the talent’s strengths and its focus on Scotland was a real leverage to the campaign. The judges highly commended this entry for achieving such success in transactional comedy in 2024, given the nature of the market today.

COMMENDED: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Extended Version): Universal Pictures

This high-profile campaign was challenging to benchmark, but the team set reasonable targets relative to spend, with a clear objective to push PVOD. The team’s use of audience segmentation and strategy was well-defined despite such short timelines. The campaign delivered impressive media results, PR coverage, and organic social impact. Overall, the quick turnaround under tight restrictions was remarkable, showcasing strong execution and teamwork to the judges.

WINNER: The Walking Dead Season 11 & 1-11 Boxset: Universal Pictures

The Walking Dead Season 11 campaign faced significant challenges, including budget constraints and a difficult release gap, however, the judges highlighted how well the team worked collaboratively and effectively to tackle this head-on. With clear targets, the team worked undeniably cohesively across their spend and efficiency which, in turn, led to great results. The use of fan input in the artwork boosted engagement despite a dwindling fanbase. The strategy was well thought out, focusing on re-engaging lapsed fans while rewarding loyal ones.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Last of Us: The Complete First Season: Warner Bros. Discovery

The campaign, a first of its kind in gaming-to-home entertainment, faced unique challenges but achieved strong results with a healthy budget and excellent social media and publicity engagement. The strategy was slick and well-organised for the second-biggest TV release of the year. The judges noted the use of talent and platforms like Amazon and PlayStation, with the campaign well-executed tapping into both core and new audiences.

WINNER: Official Charts Video Online 2.0: Official Charts

A very ambitious and innovative project with a significant impact on the wider sector. The initiative showcased smart and well-executed strategies, particularly around the key issue of windowing. The use of examples and industry feedback demonstrated its practical application to the judges, who felt it provided an elegant approach to analysing important commercial data, adding real value to the Home Entertainment industry.

COMMENDED: hmv 363 Oxford Street: hmv

The judges felt that this initiative went above and beyond mere sales drives, but focused on something experiential and emotional for the consumer. As veteran brands attempt to reinvent themselves for today’s market, hmv 363 Oxford Street showed strong sentiment and attention to detail, addressing a modern physical retail challenge and responding to evolving retailer trends, pivoting from traditional sales models to something much more immersive and valuable to consumers.

WINNER: Sky Store Barbie Campaign: Sky Store

An outstanding, best-in-class entry that highlighted the Barbie message. The campaign used owned assets brilliantly, showcasing fun branding that enticed customers. The strategy for the initiative was to dominate, integrating the title with the platform, and boosting awareness of both the platform and Home Entertainment. Despite the obvious challenges of altering branding aspects across the platform, the judges felt the team were extremely clever and innovative in tackling these challenges. The initiative covered all bases, from a strong social media presence, voice activation, pitch-side ads, and logo changes, to truly excel and be awarded Creative Initiative of the Year.

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Wicker Man – Heavenly Records Collaboration: STUDIOCANAL

The judges noted the significant challenges that The Wicker Man initiative faced but were impressed by the team’s ability to leverage the strong IP they had, resulting in a creatively brilliant outcome. The strategy, execution and positive activity including the partnership with Heavenly Records stood out for the judges and the robust sales and strong Box Office performance were commended. The judges admired the beautiful artwork that provided The Wicker Man fans with a tangible collector’s item.

COMMENDED: Sony Pictures x Letterboxd: Sony Pictures

The judges felt the collaborative initiative between Sony Pictures and Letterboxd was something refreshing and unique that enticed and captivated consumers. The partnership strategy was well thought-out, improving consumer awareness regarding studio brands by collaborating with relevant and high-profile platforms.

Helen Parker

EVP, Universal Pictures Content Group

Marie-Claire Benson

EVP, Head of MPG, Lionsgate UK

Anna Godas

CEO, Dogwoof

Johanna Beaven

Marketing Manager, Universal Pictures

WINNER: Past Lives, STUDIOCANAL

The ever-popular Hidden Gem award returns for 2024. The winner of this year’s Hidden Gem is STUDIOCANAL’s Past Lives. As voted by the industry, Past Lives was deemed the standout in this category as the title that captured the audience’s imagination and saw success beyond expectation.

WINNER: Mr Bates vs. The Post Office - Helps the Real-Life Victims, ITV Studios / Spirit Entertainment

Entertainment Moment of the Year is awarded to a pivotal moment in popular culture over the last 12 months that didn’t just trend for a day but remained in the public’s consciousness throughout the year. This year’s winner comes from the ITV Studios / Spirit Entertainment hit series, Mr Bates vs. The Post Office.

WINNER: Vindication Swim, Picnik Entertainment & Relsah Films

Vindication Swim won the Script to Screen award due to its unique filming approach, led by a young director who maximised creativity and resourcefulness on a small budget. The judges were impressed by the film’s ability to deliver compelling results, showcasing both technical skill and storytelling despite limited resources. Its innovative execution and strong vision set it apart as a standout production.

COMMENDED: If The Streets Were On Fire, Dorothy St Pictures, BFI Doc Society & TAPE Collective

The judges felt that If The Streets Were On Fire showcased significant cultural impact and created lasting effects on the youth it presented and to the industry as a whole. The project’s use of crowdfunding to ensure completion was praised as a fantastic method of ensuring their project made it over the line and to the screen. The style of the piece, a blend of film and documentary, showcased diverse skills from a first-time filmmaking team tackling a challenging project. The strong response to the title, including a presentation to the UK Government, are notable achievements and represented a great reward for the struggles the team faced to ensure the completion of this title. The judges were particularly impressed by the project’s cultural significance and the opportunities it created for the community.

WINNER: 20 Days in Mariupol – Awareness Impact Action: Dogwoof

The judges awarded 20 Days in Mariupol – Awareness Impact Action joint-winner for its stand-out social impact, addressing a crucial issue with its effective reach engaging audiences and notably influencing the EU parliament. The documentary’s bold and emotional approach helped raise awareness of the current situation in Ukraine. The campaign’s objectives to tackle misinformation and educate were achieved through creative methods, grassroots screenings and diplomatic engagements. The judges felt this title was both a powerful and essential piece.

WINNER: NBCUniversal x The Prince’s Trust – Million Makers 2023: Universal Pictures

The judges highlighted the significant impact this initiative had on empowering young people from underprivileged backgrounds, providing tools, experience and support. The dedication and enthusiasm were evident, creating valuable opportunities for the young people who took part as well as an incredible fundraising campaign. The judges felt this campaign should be commended for sustainable and positive change deeming it a worthy joint-winner of the Social Impact award.