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Wiper Messaging Offers Bitcoin Payments To Filmmakers

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Lester Coleman
Last Updated

Could mobile messaging be the next big screen? With a little help from bitcoin, perhaps.

Wiper, an encrypted mobile messaging app with a built-in bitcoin wallet, has released a new functionality called Wiper Film that allows users to view films and allows online digital content providers to monetize their content by accepting bitcoin, according to Nasdaq.

For $4.99 a month, a user can have access to hundreds of independent films.

A Win-Win

The Wiper website notes that many filmmakers do not have the right tools to develop an audience. Audiences, for their part, spend more time trying to find a movie they want to watch than actually watching movies. “We solve both problems.”

The content providers get a share of the revenue paid through the Wiper bitcoin wallets. With bitcoin, the filmmakers receive their payments at lower thresholds than the minimums required by the Google or AOL advertising networks. Because bitcoin micropayments are far cheaper than conventional payment methods, digital content providers can receive their share of the income in smaller dividends.

On Google, for example, content providers have to wait until they reach a minimum $100 before they can cash out.

While big digital content providers and filmmakers drive tens of thousands of dollars per month in profits, independent filmmakers earn a much smaller income. Hence, they struggle to achieve the threshold every time they release their content.

Another advantage with bitcoin is they also receive the payments immediately rather than waiting five to 10 days.

Wiper Inc., based in New York City, launched its mobile messaging service to the public last June, CCN.com reported, offering users the ability to control how long their messages remain in the messaging system. To ensure privacy, calls are encrypted, and there is no call log. Users can instantly erase messages. Other features control how long messages remain. Wiper alerts the user when a friend snaps a screenshot or forwards a photo or video.

Easy of Use

The filmmaker simply uploads his or her film to Wiper, then makes the film available to millions of viewers on Android, iPhone, Apple TV, and the web. “They can watch, share, and discuss your work,” the website notes.

Wiper image

Wiper’s team of curators review every submission. The top-rated films are eligible for prizes. Highly-rated films can also win prizes.

Wiper provides insight into a filmmaker’s audience with statistics. Filmmakers can earn revenue based on viewership.

The built-in social tools allow filmmakers to share their work on social media networks and connect directly with viewers. The Wiper content license is non-exclusive, and the filmmaker can remove their work any time they want.

The website claims Wiper promotes top selections through both online and offline marketing, filmmaker spotlights, and festivals.

Additional Funding

Wiper previously raised $2.5 million in seed funding from Michael Choupak, Intermedia, and Unison founder, to develop a unique set of cryptographic functionalities that encrypts all outgoing and incoming messages and HD calls.

Choupak has since provided an additional $2 million, allowing the company to focus on the development and distribution of Wiper Film throughout 2016.

Images from Wiper and Shutterstock.