Free platforms can be a great tool for indie animators when it comes to reaching an audience. More and more animated shows are beginning to make the leap from free to monetized platforms. Hundreds of millions of views on a free platform is no doubt impressive, but that doesn't have to be the threshold, necessarily, to warrant making a jump to a major streamer. 

In a world where creators of indie animation have grown weary of having to give away control of their canvases in order to reach beyond the gatekeepers to a larger audience, is a more useful model emerging? Trends in recent deal-making seem to point in this direction. And if a new model is beginning to emerge, what are its new rules? What could a win-win look like for a major streamer and an indie animation producer? 

It seems there is plenty of room to explore to find deals where the major streamers can be clear about what they need (and don't need) to achieve their benchmarks, while allowing indie creators the opportunity to capitalize on certain rights (ancillary and otherwise) in ways that can be more organically driven by the audience. Here's to hoping for more opportunities for indie animation creators to explore the new boundaries of a model with the potential for lucrative upsides on both sides.