Looks like Bollywood directors don’t have to visit the DVD library any more to seek inspiration.
UTV Global Broadcasting and NDTV Imagine are busy buying films from across the globe
MUMBAI: Looks like Bollywood directors don’t have to visit the DVD library any more to seek inspiration.
With Indian television networks foraying into the world cinema genre, rest assured that inspiration now will come straight into your television sets, from countries like Brazil, Iran, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, China, Japan, Australia amongst other countries.
Two recent entrants into the television space — UTV Global Broadcasting and NDTV Imagine — have been hopping from one international film market to the other, scouting for movie acquisitions. UTV’s world cinema channel — World Movies — has already gone on air, while NDTV Imagine’s Lumiere is targeting a launch somewhere at the end of April.
Indian audiences have so far lapped up staple Hollywood fare on English movie channels like Star Movies, HBO, Hallmark, AXN. Both UTV and NDTV Lumiere are now trying to create a new segment of viewers on television, which till now was dependent on either film festivals, DVD libraries for their share of world cinema.
Sameer Nair, CEO, NDTV Imagine, says Lumiere will be more than just a 24-hr TV channel. “We have acquired the multimedia rights of about 300 films from across the world. Come March, we will first premiere them in Indian multiplexes and then make them available across multiple platforms such as home video, the 24-hour TV channel, pay-per-view across DTH platforms and internet downloads.”
The films include the works of acclaimed directors like Pedro Almodovar, Wong-Kar Wai, Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, Aki Kaurismaki, Elia Suleiman, Emir Kusturica, Fatih Akin amongst others. All these films will be shown with English subtitles.
UTV Global Broadcasting is treading a different path within the same genre. The company’s CEO Shantonu Adithya points out while extensive marketing of the films would be done through theatrical release, home video and video-on-demand, World Movies will play contemporary box-office hits from around the world. “We’re not bringing you black-and-white classics. Our objective is to promote the concept of watching films from all over the world. We’ve acquired about 450 films from over 35 countries and we’re targeting Sec A male and females whom we classify under ‘special interest audiences’.”
Industry observers point out that running a general Hindi or English movie channel has become an arduous task, considering the high cost of movie acquisitions. Navin Shah, CEO, P9 Integrated, says, “There has been as much as a 40% rise in movie acquisition costs for both Hollywood and Bollywood blockbusters. And to be in the race, movie channels have to get the best library of content.”
A world cinema genre therefore makes better business sense for broadcasters since the acquisition costs are lower —within the range of $10,000-25,000. Films are generally acquired in bulk at film-markets where prices are competitive, depending on the film’s box-office success.
Post the arrival of both World Movies and NDTV Lumiere, the heat, therefore, is likely to be felt by existing English movie channels. “We are hoping to divert as much as 30% of the existing English movie-channel viewing audiences to our channel. This is, of course in addition to getting a new segment of viewers,” says Adithya, adding that about 20-25% of their library includes movies screened at Cannes.
c_arcopol@dnaindia.net
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