Joiningthedocs.tv, a new pay-per-view broadband channel for independent documentary films, will announce at the Berlin Film Festival on Monday it’s won €200,000 in funding from the European Union’s MEDIA digital distribution fund. The release is embargoed to Monday but the news creeped out online on Friday.

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The service is being launched by indie film distributor MercuryMedia, along with support from The Independent newspaper, Sheffield Documentary Festival and the Picture House cinema distributor. Film prices cost from £1 to £4. The service aims to add between five and 10 new titles per month, each with DRM - three plays in two days for streamed flicks, or a five-day expiry window for downloaded files. Mercury is on the acquisition trail for new content.

Mercury is not the first film distributor to set up its own online retail service, nor is it alone in trying to popularise indie films online (just see the related links). Dailymotion is courting film makers and festivals like crazy, Babelgum is even financing and commissioning indie doc makers, Raindance.tv was last year awarded £500,000 for its online initiative, Cinelan was funded by Arts Alliance and The Film Lounge is trying online retail for adult horror, crime, action and kung-fu flicks.

MD Nick Ware, in the release, said Joiningthedocs.tv had just hired a team of staff and is seeking further funding to launch in Germany and France within three years: “As audiences seek out documentaries that are increasingly marginalized on television, JTD will be its trusted guide to the very best, showcasing both award winners and hidden gems.”