This simulation places a Scandinavian production house and Shudder, a genre-focused streaming platform, in a licensing negotiation for a two-year exclusive window.
Both parties are working with limited data: the film has festival recognition but no global distribution yet, and Shudder is operating within a fixed acquisitions budget and an almost complete slate. The bargaining range is unusually wide, which pushes students to navigate uncertainty rather than rely on clear benchmarks.
The case brings forward questions about how to anchor when the value is ambiguous, how non-monetary terms can reshape a deal, and how quickly negotiators default to a single-number discussion when there are multiple ways to create value.
It offers instructors a focused way to examine wide ZOPA dynamics, the use of creative trades, and the early steps of building a longer-term relationship in markets where future collaboration matters as much as upfront price.