The new service, announced at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival, comes with an endorsement from indy film and television producer Paul ‘Spike’ Lees, who said ‘The independent film community has been crying out for innovative new ways to distribute content.’ Through the site, producers can obtain ratings, reviews, feedback and insights about their films. Formats compatible with the new service include Apple Quicktime, Macromedia Flash, MPEG1, AVI and ASF.

And there may be a role for marketers in the new scenario. Later this year, Zip.tv plans to offer producers a chance to earn revenue through shared advertising or pay-per-view revenue.

A version of this story first appeared in Playback Daily.