London Video-on-Demand Provider Alchemiya – Transforming the image of Islam
East London based Video on Demand (VOD) service, Alchemiya, launches campaign on ‘LaunchGood’ to offer 500 new titles of video content.
London(22 May 2018)
Alchemiya Media Ltd, has launched a £100k Ramadan crowdfunding campaign on US based crowdfunding platform, LaunchGood - https://www.launchgood.com/change-the-story
Alchemiya selects its content based on its core values of: Positive, Peaceful, Creative, and Excellence. The team at Alchemiya believes that the on-going negative coverage of Islam in the mainstream media has impacted on the confidence of young Muslims, and has increased fear and suspicion towards the Muslim community.
Their response to this situation is to focus on video content about art, culture, history, and heritage, travel, food, fashion and children’s programmes. They believe that these films can help create positive change in the Muslim community and build bridges with non-Muslims.
“I am confident that we can bring a new perspective and experience of Islam with content that inspires and educates the viewer.”
“In the case of our core audience they are under-served and caught between conservative religious television and the western mainstream that doesn’t reflect their values or aspirations.”
"There is a Muslim London ‘cool’ that Muslims from across the globe want to experience, and we have around us the creative talent that produces this,” he added.
Alchemiya has a very big 'purpose' and to take it to the next level, they now need partners and supporters who share their purpose and values. Akhtar continued, “Our aim is not to teach or preach, but rather to inspire our viewers with lifestyle content that presents the rich culture of the Muslim world. This project is not about religion or theology, but an opportunity to transform the distorted image of Islam into a more balanced perspective“.
To demonstrate their commitment to this purpose, Alchemiya’s Ramadan campaign on LaunchGood allows anyone donating $50 to get free 2-year access for themselves and a free 2-year subscription for any educational institution of their choice. The funds from this campaign will allow them to grow the current library from 50 titles to 500.
In addition to the enormous charitable and social benefits of Alchemiya, there is a growing financial opportunity. Ericsson ConsumerLab predicts that by 2020, half of all video viewing will be done on mobile devices, led by a younger generation of viewers. With 60% of the global Muslim population under the age of 30, a new generation of Muslim Millennials are expected to be among the most influential market demographic, shaping both regional and mainstream markets.
“There are both push and pull factors that are opening up a huge opportunity, for us”, said Akhtar. What initially was considered a niche audience is now hyper-niche, as more people go online looking for their primary television experience.
Going further, the team has drawn up plans to establish the Alchemiya Foundation, diverting funds from their commercial profits to help train and support the next generation of underprivileged filmmakers. This all ties in with the company’s values and purpose, and Alchemiya is structured to combine both commercial ambition and social mission together.
The Alchemiya LaunchGood campaign can be found here:
https://www.launchgood.com/alchemiya-change-the-story/
And their short promotional video can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8pp2JolgWE
About Alchemiya
Alchemiya is a curated Video on Demand service showcasing the world’s best films, documentaries, and lifestyle content about the Muslim world. Alchemiya has customers in over 40 countries who view content through its beta version available through a web browser. You can also watch Alchemiya as a dedicated Amazon channel available to Amazon Video members. Alchemiya content is curated from across the world and great care is taken in selecting programmes that are relevant to the target audience. Three board members are ex-BBC and bring years of management and programme making experience that underlines the driving purpose of Alchemiya “to offer inspirational content that reflects the rich culture of the Muslim world“.
Contact:
Navid Akhtar, CEO: +44 7932 070015 navid@alchemiya.com