EXCLUSIVE: Deal indicates growing importance of digital players in the market.

French sales company Rezo has sold German rights to Patrick Rotman’s fly-on-the-wall documentary Being President (Le Pouvoir) to Berlin-based SVOD service Watchever.

Under deal, the documentary, following French President François Hollande behind the scenes at the Elysée presidential palace, will stream exclusively on Watchever’s platform within a matter of days.

“This is an unusual deal for us in that the film will be on the platform within just a few days, getting the film to an audience right away” said Rezo sales chief Sebastien Chesneau.

Theatrical, video and TV rights remain open in Germany.

“Through a deal like this we can maximize revenues through various windows. Such an exposure allows us to give value to a TV deal later on and give us the opportunity to organize event screenings, keeping P&A on the lower range,” he added.

“We’re thrilled to bring Being President to the German audience as an exclusive premiere. With this film, Watchever shows a new way to exploit a movie. Thanks to our partnership it will get a strong and timely release to a broad audience. We are willing to pursue similar opportunities,” commented Watchever’s CEO Stefan Schulz.

The deal is indicative of the growing importance of digital players in the market.

Hanway Select recently signed a similar deal for Woody Allen: A Documentary, selling the film to Russian VOD platform Yota Play which is planning an August date-and-date release.

A subsidiary of European media group Vivendi, SVOD service Watchever was launched in Germany last January.

Rotman’s Being President opened to rave reviews on France on May 17.

Rezo’s slate also includes Serge Bozon’s Tip Top, starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain as two police offices wrongly implicated in a murder, which premieres in Directors’ Fortnight today [May 19].

Other titles include Austrian Marvin Kren’s horror picture The Station, set against the backdrop of climate research station in the Alps, Catherine Breillat’s Abuse of Weakness and Marco Bellocchio’s La Monaca.

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