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Category: Movies

  • Asia Pacific Screen Awards nominees announced

    MUMBAI: October 4, 2007: Nominees in the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region‘s highest accolade in film in 2007, were announced at a gala event in Singapore.


    Feature films in contention for Best Feature Film are CARAMEL (Lebanon), NIGHT BUS (AUTOBUS-E SHAB) (Iran), OPERA JAWA (Indonesia), SECRET SUNSHINE (MIRYANG) (Republic of Korea) and TAKVA: A MAN‘S FEAR OF GOD (Turkey).








    Feroz Abbas Khan‘s GANDHI, MY FATHER nominated for Asia Pacific Screen Awards


    The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is a collaboration between CNN International, UNESCO and FIAPF- the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. The Awards honour the works of filmmakers across a region covering more than 70 countries, one third of the earth and half the world‘s film output.


    The finalists are drawn from all over the Asia-Pacific region with 34 films nominated from 19 countries: Armenia, Australia, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Turkey.


    Asia Pacific Screen Awards Chairman, Des Power, said: “It is remarkable that the Awards in their first year have drawn entries from so many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. Clearly filmmakers and the industry value the purpose and benefit of these Awards and the global broadcast platform of CNN International.


    “I congratulate the nominees in the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards. They represent the extraordinary creativity and energy of filmmakers across the Asia-Pacific region and the range and quality of their films undoubtedly reflects the aims of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards to celebrate both cinematic excellence and cultural diversity.”


    The Asia Pacific Screen Awards will be presented at an Awards ceremony on the Gold Coast, Australia, on November 13, 2007, following deliberation by a distinguished International Jury headed by Indian actress and humanitarian, Shabana Azmi.


    The full list of nominees follows.



    The nominees in the 2007 Asia Pacific Screen Awards are:


    Best Feature Film
    CARAMEL (Lebanon) Produced by Anne Dominique Toussaint
    NIGHT BUS (AUTOBUS-E SHAB) (Iran) Produced by Mehdi Homayounfar
    OPERA JAWA (Indonesia) Produced by Garin Nugroho and Simon Field
    SECRET SUNSHINE (MIRYANG) (Republic of Korea) Produced by In-Soo Kim, Chang-Dong Lee and Hanna Lee
    TAKVA: A MAN‘S FEAR OF GOD (Turkey) Produced by Sevil Demirci Cakar


    Best Animated Feature Film
    THE BIG FIGHTING BETWEEN WUKONG AND GOD ERLANG (WUKONG DA ZHAN ER LANG SHEN) (China) Produced by Hansen Liang and Meiling Zhou
    5 CENTIMETERS PER SECOND (BYOSOKU 5 CENTIMETERS) (Japan) Produced by Horitaka Kawaguchi
    SUMMER DAYS WITH COO (KAPPA NO COO TO NATSUYASUMI) (Japan) Produced by Yutaka Sugiyama


    Best Documentary Feature Film
    BEIRUT DIARIES: TRUTH, LIES AND VIDEOS (YAOUMIYAT BEIRUT: HAKAEK WA AKATHEEB) (Lebanon) Produced by Mai Masri and Jean Chamoun
    A GREAT MASTER RECAPTURED (YOU JIAN MEI LAN FANG) (China) Produced by Feng Gao
    THE LOST LAND (SARZAMINE GOMSHODEH) (Iran) Produced by Documentary and Experimental Film Centre and TOUBA Film
    A STORY OF PEOPLE IN WAR AND PEACE (Armenia) Produced by Vardan Hovhannisyan
    VILLAGE PEOPLE RADIO SHOW (APA KHABAR ORANG KAMPUNG) (Malaysia) Produced by Tan Chui Mui


    Best Children‘s Feature Film
    THE BICYCLE (GULONG) (Philippines) Produced by Menardo Jimenez and Socorro Fernandez
    DENIAS, SINGING ON THE CLOUD (DENIAS, SENANDUNG DI ATAS AWAN) (Indonesia) Produced by Ari Sihasale
    LOCKSMITH (GHOFL-SAZ) (Iran) Produced by Hassan Agha-Karimi
    MOTHER NANNY (INANG YAYA) (Philippines) Produced by Antonio Gloria
    MUKHSIN (Malaysia) Produced by Puad Onah


    Achievement in Directing
    Nadine Labaki for CARAMEL (Lebanon)
    Rakhshan Bani-Etemad and Mohsen Abdolvahab for MAINLINE (KHOONBAZI) (Iran)
    Shawkat Amin Korki for CROSSING THE DUST (PARINAWA LA GHOBAR) (Iraq/Kurdistan)
    Tao Peng for LITTLE MOTH (XUE CHAN) (China)
    Zhanna Issabayeva for KAROY (Kazakhstan)


    Best Screenplay
    Feroz Abbas Khan for GANDHI, MY FATHER (India)
    Michael James Rowland and Helen Barnes for LUCKY MILES (Australia)
    Kiumars Pourahmad and Habib Ahmadzadeh for NIGHT BUS (AUTOBUS-E SHAB) (Iran)
    Chang-Dong Lee for SECRET SUNSHINE (MIRYANG) (Republic of Korea)
    Onder Cakar for TAKVA: A MAN‘S FEAR OF GOD (Turkey)


    Achievement in Cinematography
    Yu Wang for THE GO MASTER (WU QINGYUAN) (China)
    Trofimov R G C Sergey for MONGOL (Russian Federation)
    Palitha Perera for SANKARA (Sri Lanka)
    Zhao Fei, Mark Ping-bin Lee and Yang Tao for THE SUN ALSO RISES (China)
    Hooman Behmanesh for THOSE THREE (AN SEH) (Iran)


    Best Performance by an Actress
    Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Masri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Siham Haddad & Asiza Semaan in CARAMEL (Lebanon)
    Hanan Turk in CUT AND PASTE (KAS WA LAZK) (Egypt)
    Joan Chen in THE HOME SONG STORIES (Australia)
    Baran Kosari in MAINLINE (KHOONBAZI) (Iran)
    Do-Yeon Jeon in SECRET SUNSHINE (MIRYANG) (Republic of Korea)


    Best Performance by an Actor
    Sasson Gabai in THE BAND‘S VISIT (BIKUR HATIZMORET) (Israel)
    Antropov Evgeniy in HARD-HEARTED (KREMEN) (Russian Federation)
    Deok-Hwan Ryu in LIKE A VIRGIN (CHEON HA JANG SA MADONNA) (Republic of Korea)
    Mehrdad Sedighian in NIGHT BUS (AUTOBUS-E SHAB) (Iran)
    Erkan Can in TAKVA: A MAN‘S FEAR OF GOD (Turkey)


    Two additional major Awards will be presented for outstanding achievement: The FIAPF Award for outstanding achievement in film in the Asia-Pacific region.
    The UNESCO Award for outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through film.


    The Asia Pacific Screen Awards is producing television programs attached to the inaugural 2007 Awards for global broadcast on CNN International.


    The programs, titled Scene By Scene, will carry stories and interviews about the region‘s film industry. Scene By Scene – Films of Asia Pacific will screen on CNN International on November 10 prior to the Awards ceremony on November 13. The second program, Scene By Scene – Best Films of Asia Pacific, will include the Awards ceremony and will air on November 17.


    FIAPF – The International Federation of Film Producers Associations has endorsed the Asia Pacific Screen Awards Charter.


    The Director General of UNESCO has given his formal endorsement for the Asia Pacific Screen Awards to be conducted under the auspices of UNESCO.



    KEY DATES:

    31 August 2006
    Eligible films must be completed after this date

    12 September 2007
    Deadline for entries. Screen Credits Forms and accompanying films must be lodged and postmarked on or before this date by Submitting Organisations in each country

    24 – 28 September 2007
    Nominations Council meet to decide nominations in the first nine categories. Announcements will be made early October.

    31 October 2007
    Eligible films must have achieved theatrical release or presentation at a FIAPF accredited festival anywhere in the world by this date

    13 November 2007
    Winners announced at the inaugural Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony.

  • Excel Home Videos wins 2 Fox Marketing Awards

    MUMBAI: Home entertainment major Excel Home Videos earned two Awards for India at the Twentieth Century Fox Awards for Excellence in Home Entertainment.

    This is the first time that an Indian company has received honours from Fox for the home entertainment segment. The company swept two of the four awards for India, including ‘Highest Growth‘ and ‘Best Theatrical Synergy”.


    The other two awards were won by Hong Kong. The award ceremony held at Bali, Indonesia witnessed nine countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, among others, competing for top honours.

    The award for ‘highest growth‘ was for the 67 per cent growth the company achieved in the last fiscal. Excel Home Videos, which owns the largest DVD catalogue in the country and enjoys a retail penetration of over 12,000 retail outlets, attributes the success to its product quality, technical brilliance and innovative marketing. Apart from Fox, Excel also represents other entertainment majors like Walt Disney, MGM, Merchant Ivory, HIT, Shringar, and EA amongst others in India.

    The award of ‘Best Theatrical Synergy‘ was conferred for the pioneering efforts of the company in successfully using theatrical synergy to promote Home Video Products. Says MN Kapasi, MD, Excel Home Videos, “Merely coinciding the release hasn‘t achieved us the feat. The entire effort has been well coordinated with effective pricing, DVD visibility in stores, innovative advertising, among other aspects”. The experiment began with the DVD re-release of the Brad Pitt starrer ‘Fight Club‘ last February. The English DVD did roaring business with the pre-launch hype of the Sohail Khan starrer. The success was later duplicated with a string of Marvel titles including X – Men 1, X – Men 2, X – Men 3, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Elektra, and Daredevil, among others.”


    The Awards, in its third year, were presented by Richard Crook, vice president, International Licensees, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

  • Excel Home Videos wins 2 Fox Marketing Awards

    Excel Home Videos wins 2 Fox Marketing Awards

    MUMBAI: Home entertainment major Excel Home Videos earned two Awards for India at the Twentieth Century Fox Awards for Excellence in Home Entertainment.

     

    This is the first time that an Indian company has received honours from Fox for the home entertainment segment. The company swept two of the four awards for India, including ‘Highest Growth’ and ‘Best Theatrical Synergy”.

     

    The other two awards were won by Hong Kong. The award ceremony held at Bali, Indonesia witnessed nine countries, including South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, among others, competing for top honours.

    The award for ‘highest growth’ was for the 67 per cent growth the company achieved in the last fiscal. Excel Home Videos, which owns the largest DVD catalogue in the country and enjoys a retail penetration of over 12,000 retail outlets, attributes the success to its product quality, technical brilliance and innovative marketing. Apart from Fox, Excel also represents other entertainment majors like Walt Disney, MGM, Merchant Ivory, HIT, Shringar, and EA amongst others in India.

    The award of ‘Best Theatrical Synergy’ was conferred for the pioneering efforts of the company in successfully using theatrical synergy to promote Home Video Products. Says MN Kapasi, MD, Excel Home Videos, “Merely coinciding the release hasn’t achieved us the feat. The entire effort has been well coordinated with effective pricing, DVD visibility in stores, innovative advertising, among other aspects”. The experiment began with the DVD re-release of the Brad Pitt starrer ‘Fight Club‘ last February. The English DVD did roaring business with the pre-launch hype of the Sohail Khan starrer. The success was later duplicated with a string of Marvel titles including X – Men 1, X – Men 2, X – Men 3, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Elektra, and Daredevil, among others.”

     

    The Awards, in its third year, were presented by Richard Crook, vice president, International Licensees, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

  • DVD market on the cusp of change

    The DVD market in India is witnessing major change. The prices of both hardware and software has become highly competitive and a host of online rental players have emerged. But what impact will low prices have on the rental business and what pricing strategies are home video firms employing? This story offers a look at the current situation of the home video market in the country.

     

    First off, there is no denying that the DVD revolution is possibly the biggest thing that could have ever happened to movie buffs.

    Today, six cities including Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata account for 70 per cent of the DVD player penetration in the market.

    According to Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci ), a PWC report states that there is a huge upspring in plasma TVs and home theatre surround sound systems, which has boosted the demand for home video products like DVDs and VCDs.

    The home video market in India – largely the rental market – was estimated to be about Rs 4 billion in 2005. Over the past two years, it has grown by about 15-18 per cent per year. The share of the home video market is estimated to be six per cent of the total film-based entertainment business. This is expected to grow to about 14 per cent by 2010, driven by the shorter-release windows in the theatrical business.

    India has approximately 15 million DVD players and this figure is expected to touch 70 million by 2010, which translates into a vastly untapped video rental market.

     

    The present market scenario

    The global broadcast technology market is worth $11 billion and is set to grow at 11 per cent with the pace being set in Europe, Middle East and Africa. This fact was highlighted at Broadcast Asia 2007, which is Asia’s biggest industry event held in Singapore from 19 -22 June 2007.

    The country has over five million home video and DVD subscribers and current penetration levels are expected to grow 31 per cent, according to the PWC report.

    The home video market is going to almost double from Rs 830 crore in 2007 to Rs 1,700 crore in 2010. The drastic cut in the price of DVDs has allowed DVDs to be sold through supermarkets as well. In the international scene, the total market has grown to an estimated 8.8 million subscribers at the end of 2006, with total estimated rental revenue of over $1.2 billion.

     

    Adams Media Research and Netflix internal estimates project that the total market will have more than 20 million online subscribers in the next four to six years. The DVD rental business is in the season of mergers, the latest to happen is the biggest fund raiser in the rental space Seventymm has acquired 100 per cent equity of the oldest rental service agency Madhouse.

     

    Moser Baer in the entertainment basket

    One player that is looking to change the dynamics of the home video market is Moser Baer. Its entry into the home entertainment market was marked by its move to slash the prices of DVDs and offer regional titles. This positioned the company among the top contenders and the biggest guns of retailers entering this market.

    Its set to change all the dynamics of the entertainment market and the problems conflicting the industry like high prices of DVDs which had given the rise of steadily flowing of piracy and high fragmentation in this business.

    Companies are releasing video content in DVD and VCD formats to ensure the highest quality standards, but also to significantly reduce costs. Moser Baer‘s fully licensed titles will be available at Rs 28 for an Indian film VCD and Rs 34 for an Indian film DVD – price points that we said before, will not just redefine the Rs 650 crore ($150 million) home entertainment business in the country, but also put it on the path to a four- to five-fold growth in the next three years. Of this, Moser Baer aims to have at least 50 per cent market share.

     

    One of Moser Baer‘s recent releases

    Pricing strategies: Moser Baer will also be releasing non-film titles in the following areas at different price points, including VCDs at Rs 49 and DVDs at Rs 69. Two VCDs will be priced at Rs 89. All English movie titles will be marketed (VCDs at market price of 49 and DVD of Rs 69). The company is also planning to launch single VCDs of songs in the range of prices starting from Rs 20 in all key languages.

     

    Distribution: Moser Baer is also setting up exclusive branded outlets (owned or through franchise) at about 300 locations, in addition to alliances with large format stores established by various retail ventures in the country. They have established a network of carrying and forwarding agents in all the states of India.

    Other players slashing prices: Shemaroo & Eros

     

    Other players in the market include the veteran Shemaroo. The firm recently introduced three new pricing categories for some products starting at Rs 66. Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada says that the last time DVD prices were reviewed was in 2004. He adds that the firm anticipated the competition in terms of prices and more players a few years back which is why it has sought to diversify itself.

    More price cutting has come from Eros International which has slashed its entry price on DVDs, cutting it down from around Rs 150 to Rs 99 to keep in tune with the dynamics of the market.

    One of the films in Shemaroo‘s low price catalogue

    Eyeing the potential of this sector, Reliance Entertainment, Nimbus and Percept are among the other players looking to enter the home video space with competitively priced products. Reliance is investing $ 100 million in its home video division Bigflicks. This has both an online and an offline component.

    The online component will mainly target NRIs. The offline component will consist of retail stores across the country. By the end of this financial year there will be 100 stores in 10 cities. In three years there will be around 500 stores in 50 cities. They will function as neighbourhood stores. They will offer DVDs for rental and sale. While the pricing strategy has not been decided upon Bigflicks COO Kamal Gianchandani says that it will be competitive.

     

    No drastic price reduction: Excel Home Video

    This animation film has done well for Excel

    For some of the other existing firms it is still a ‘wait and watch‘ strategy on the pricing front. Excel Home Video which focusses on Hollywood is not going in for huge price reduction anytime soon. Excel Home Video MD M N Kapasi says that it is not a question of high price or low prices.

    “So far the introduction of low price discs has not affected our business. We will reduce the price of our products marginally to push up volumes but it will not be a drastic reduction.

    “Demand is a function of content. You can have cheap hardware but if the software is not there a firm will not find takers. At the current price level of our DVDs and VCDs we are satisfied with the volume of business. We will be doing a study now to find out what the consumer expects. Is it a low price or is it quality they seek? Depending on that we will take a decision on how we go ahead.”

    No need to plunge prices: Sony Pictures

     

    Sony Pictures which has a home video unit is also adopting a wait and watch strategy. The firm feels that its price points are reasonable and with that price point it claims to compete successfully and at the same time make profits.

    A spokesperson says that there is no sudden need to plunge the prices when consumers are willing to make a price value comparison on a particular film. At a super low price one will bleed. It is worth noting that Moser Baer has an advantage. Since it is a disc manufacturer it can bring prices down more effectively than the competition.

     

    The webslinger has proven to be a winner for Sony Pictures on the home video front as well

    It is expected by the industry that the advent of low priced DVD players and some software at a reasonable price will help convert VCD buyers to DVD buyers thus helping to educate the consumer about the better quality and features of DVDs over VCDs. VCDs are still likely to sell in large volumes for some time though, as DVD hardware penetration in rural India is still not very high.

     

    Moreover, with the advent of lower cost DVDs, new distribution channels are likely to open up, thereby expanding the availability of DVDs more than they currently are. Several players are betting on home videos becoming a FMCG product being sold through multiple retail points like super markets and departmental stores apart from traditional music and video stores. Also, with the expansion of organised retailing in India, over the next few years, home videos are likely to get wider distribution reach.

    However, the key issue is what impact will low pricing of DVDs have on the rental business?

    As of now the rental business whether online or offline is yet to see the full impact of the low cost DVDs. It might not get affected in the short term as most of the renting happens for new Hindi and international releases mostly priced between Rs 299 – Rs 599 for DVD and Rs 149 – Rs 299 for VCD. The price reductions are usually introduced for older movies, classic titles. However, if prices for international and newer Hindi products also fall drastically in the next three years, as has been predicted by Moser Baer, then the rental business will certainly get affected.

     

    Industry players however don’t feel that low cost DVDs will have a major impact on cinema revenues. That is because theatre viewing is a different experience with the family as an outing. Video cannot replace that experience. Further, several films have a great impact on the big screen, compared to the small screen.

     

    Theatrical business will generally not be hit as there is a hold back period of 2-10 weeks before the original home video can be launched legally by the home video rights owner. Normally, the film completes its theatrical run by then.

     

    The Online DVD rental markets

     

    Coming to the fast expanding online DVD rental business that poses competition to the DVD market, include players such as Madhouse, Seventymm and Clixflix among others.

    Reasons for splurge in the Online DVD market

     

    • Internet penetration in India is growing not only in the urban areas but also in B and C class cities which has made possible the entry of this market in rural and small areas. The number of individuals who accessed the internet has increased marginally from 10.8 million to 13.0 million in 2006.

    • Local rental stores provided the customers with only limited editions of popular bollywood flicks, nothing besides that.

    • Cheap content and poor quality makes it hard for the consumer to get good quality DVDs at rental stores.

    • The organised movie rental business has checked the rampant problems of pirated versions.

    The leading players include:

     

    Madhouse (www.madhouse.in)

    Madhouse, which rents out original and legal disks, is among the earliest players in the sector. It claims to be the first rental service Indian company to offer movie rental services accessible via a multi-channel model. This includes customer interactions through the web, SMS, phone and kiosks. Founded in December 2004, Madhouse is headquartered in Delhi. The rental service was launched in the tri-city region of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali in May 2005.

    Madhouse was acquired by Seventymm this year.

    Seventymm (www.seventymm.com)

    With a funding of Rs 100 million from US based Draper Fisher Jurveston and 32 crore funding from Matrix Partners Seventymm is currently based in Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad and Mumbai. It was launched in 2005.

     

    Cinesprite (www.cinesprite.com)

    Cinesprite.com, which was launched in 2006 with nearly 10,000 titles, is a DVD rental site that offers subscription plans ranging from one to 12 months with an activation fee of Rs 150 and Rs 250 depending upon the package the viewer chooses.

     

    Moviemart (www.moviemart.in)

    Movie Mart, a new comer in this space was launched this year. The website is also a subscription based DVD movie rental service providing its members access to a library of motion picture, television and other film entertainment. The member can choose from their subscription packages and also offers unlimited validity period for four DVDs at a time at a price of Rs 999. These prices are key in combating the falling prices of software.

     

     

    Catchflix (www.catchflix.com)

    Catchflix online rental service was launched in may 2006. It covers Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi- NCR, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad. It offers a 50 DVD package at a cost of Rs 2899.

     

    Clixflix (www.clixflix.com)

    Launched in October 2004, Clixflix plans to expand nationally. It offers a package of six DVDs a month at Rs 399 and unlimited DVDs at Rs 799. This is a Mumbai based rental agency.

    Bigflicks (www.bigflicks.com)
    This is Reliance‘s online video service and will mainly target the NRI market. It has launched its on-demand movie download service. It offers films in Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Punjabi and Kannada that will be available for either download to own at a fee or for free streaming. The firm says that its USP is that it is the first and only online movie library with the largest regional content. The download price ranges from $2 – $15.

    BigFlicks.com will offer 2000 titles in the first year and there will be revenue sharing arrangements with the content owners. The site is also looking at acquiring Indian television content apart from looking to connect with subscribers in America, UK, Canada, Middle East, Australia and South East Asia. The site aims to have an easy interface and navigability. It offers downloading speed with bit rates of 1500 kbps.

     

    Conclusion

    Thus, it is not surprising to see why online DVD rental chains and retail majors have forayed into sales and distribution tie-ups apart from acquiring copyrights from content DVD manufacturers. The market is booming and online DVD rental companies are looking to expand through tie-ups with retail chains.

    The Indian entertainment industry is worth about $5.2 billion out of which the film industry alone is worth about $1.5 billion. Even though the online DVD rental players have a tiny market share presently, they are planning to grow rapidly and expect to reach $100 million within the next five years. DVD content owners are experimenting more with packaging to make the product more attractive as well as providing added value features.

  • More to choose from!


    It‘s been a carnival of colour, images and good times on the tube this week.


    Suddenly, there‘s variety – whether you are a sports buff, a teenager keen on funky programming or part of the upper crust who loves some upmarket stuff on TV.


    Cricket turned soap with the Twenty 20 World Cup, and you don‘t need to be a sports lover to be hooked. You have poster boy captains, you have eye candy cheer leaders, you have commentary that isn‘t staid and you have Vir Das and Gaurav Chopra to entertain you with silly jokes in the breaks. General entertainment channels face some serious challenge from this quarter in the coming few days.


    UTV‘s Bindass has come knocking at TV screens recently, and by initial looks, seems set to be a winner among the market it targets. It‘s snappy, snazzy and cool…. the pre-requisites of appealing to an audience that has no patience with conventional programming. Obviously, a lot of thought has gone into the exercise – the promos, shows et al are designed to appeal to the youth out there who want to converge all entertainment into the three media – TV, web, mobile. There‘s some imported content with funky videos tailored for Indian tastes, and there are shows like Shakira, which showcases a Lara Croft character out to wreak vengeance. With hardly any precedent in this sphere, there‘s bound to be some trial and error programming till the channel settles down. But the attitude of the channel seems to have its finger on the youth pulse.


    ****


    NDTV too has rolled out its Good Times tagged as India‘s ‘first lifestyle channel‘. Uh, hadn‘t someone else used that line earlier? NDTV too has its TG firmly in focus, and its shows are tailored to the class that puts a premium on vanity, good living and fitness. Naturally, there are cookery shows with a difference, health shows with a twist of spiritualism and travel shows with an attitude. Even if some of the talk on the shows sounds a bit trite, especially when a cookery host says, “And I am going to use olive oil, because the Italians use it and I love it….!”, it might just appeal to the perennially aspiring Indian. Then there are other shows like No Big Deal, which have the anchor trying to live in different places on a real tight budget which might make for interesting viewing. For the rest, the title of another show, Vanity…No Apologies might just say it all.


    ****


     


    Many of the talent hunts are reaching their finales this week and the frenzy is reaching a crescendo. We still don‘t get a female Idol, but the competition has narrowed down to the two north eastern finalists, each of whose states is apparently going the whole hog in ensuring that the maximum votes go to their respective candidates. In either case, the channel will win in the big SMS fight.


    ****


    Star One‘s Laughter Challenge 3 too is reaching its finale this week. As in every season, the quality of comedians the show throws up has been remarkably good, if you discount the many jokes cracked at the female of the species. But then, despite trying to bring in female participants, the show has always been a male bastion. Ladies it seems, still can‘t get us to guffaw with their jokes.

     

    Couch potato tip – Next week should bring on a slew of new soaps, including Sahara‘s Main Aisi Kyun Hoon and Sony‘s Amber Dhara, the first time a story will be woven around conjoined twins. If the experiment works, it will be a milestone in TV programming.

  • Cinema activation gets active, brands cash-in

    A giggling gang of girls queues up at the popcorn counter at a plush multiplex, discussing a high-profile celebrity split.Cash in hand, they also have their eyes glued to the LCD screen above the counter which is looping a TVC of the show ‘Popcorn News‘ on Zoom. While the girls decide on caramel, salted and spicy flavours for popcorn, the TVC announces a new flavour of popcorn – ‘Bollywood Masala,‘ a show which gives the latest gossip on the glamour circuit.

    Call it smart positioning or an imaginative touchpoint with the target audiences, brands today are using the multiplex foyer for a array of activities. From kiosks to LCD displays, promotional leaflets to opinion polls, cine advertisers are slowly creating communication points in line with a film‘s release.

    The Trend

    The growth in the number of multiplexes across the urban landscape, coupled with hoards of consumers flocking to these destinations for their weekend dose of entertainment gives brands the advantage of interacting with their target audiences. This trend is gradually taking shape across the country and media experts are bullish about its prospects.

    “Brands are trying to coincide their promotional activities with the release of films just to cash in on the footfalls. It is typically centred around the weekend, when the occupancy levels are higher at the multiplexes,” says P9 Integrated CEO Navin Shah.

    Says DGM cinema activation Abhijeet Thakar, who created multiplex activation during the recent Yashraj Films release Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, “People spend an entire day at malls and cineplexes on weekends, since it‘s a great place to hang-out. Under cinema activation, direct interaction is possible between the brand and the consumer through a touch-and-feel experience. A lot of merchandise can also be given away in the process to our consumers.”

    ICI Paints had promoted its Velvet touch range of paints during the release of big-budget releases like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Salaam-e-Ishq wherein along with distributing promotional merchandise, a contest was also run. Winners had the opportunity to get their homes painted in ICI Deluxe Velvet touch paints.

    “The on ground activities at multiplexes have helped us in getting additional branding for products through sampling and converting customers into using our product. Post the activity, we‘ve experienced about 30 per cent growth in Gujarat and 55 per cent growth in Delhi both of which are our cream markets,” says ICI Paints marketing manager Rajat Johri.

    Adds Zoom Television head marketing Shiv Kumar, “Multiplex activation is part of the media today, which is allowing us to create an engagement model with the consumer. Compared to the traditional medium, here we are tailormaking the brand communication message in tune with our target audience.”

    Non-traditional media on the rise

    A natural spin-off in the increase of cinema activation has been due to the clutter for advertising on television. Lintertainment communications director Harshad Bhagwat states, “On television, ad avoidance levels have gone up as high as 70 per cent since audiences generally tend to switch channels during an ad. Brands are therefore looking at alternate mediums for gaining more visibility.”

    The platform for associating with films at multiplexes comes hardly as a surprise considering the popularity of cinema in the country. Multiplex activation is on the rise with the mushrooming of malls and multiplexes all over the country. “We have slowly reduced our dependency on other mediums like television and radio in our marketing plan. We‘re currently devoting about 7.5 per cent of our marketing budget on cinema activation,” says Johri.

    Kumar says that Zoom is currently devoting about 15 per cent of its marketing budget for cinema activation and the numbers are expected to rise.

    Why cinema?

    Part of this trend can be attributed to the growth of cinema into a more organized sector than it was before. “Producers are now seeing results. It‘s becoming a more legitimate business with more accountability coming in through multiplexes on aspects like occupancy and footfalls amongst others,” offers Shah.

    Agrees Johri, “Earlier, monitoring the degree of visibility that the brand garnered through cinema activation was difficult. But now we have a count of the number of footfalls and we receive reports of auditorium occupancy. Things have become more professional.”

    It also offers certain ‘spikes‘ during the year, wherein brands can plan in advance. “The Diwali season is a peak period when we see big-budget releases and occupancy levels are higher. We are looking to invest in such big releases of the year,” says Johri, whose range of paints will cash in on Karan Johar‘s and Kareena Kapoor‘s releases this year. Both the stars incidentally are their brand ambassadors.

    Largely though, brands building up activation models around a film‘s release are often treated as an event. “Cinema is a religion in India and the footfalls during big releases are extremely high during the weekends. We‘re trying to use their presence in the multiplex foyer to take the brand communication forward,” says Thakar.

    CalvinKare‘s Spinz range of deodarants are positioned around the theme of dance and youth. In their recent activation, patrons for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom were asked to match steps with two dancers dancing to the title of songs from the film. P9 Integrated, which executed the campaign, says the response was excellent. CalvinKare product manager Sanghamitra Rath agrees, “We‘ve used cinema activation for the first time and the response has been very good. We‘re using this campaign in different metros across the country.”

    Range of brands investing

    The genre of brands using cinema activation has seen a sea change over the last few years. “Earlier you had the liquor, colas and two-wheelers using the activation very effectively – both on-screen and off-screen. Now we have a range of products right from FMCG goods and consumer durables that undertake sampling and merchandising exercises at multiplexes,” says Shah. Lately, however, a lot of media brands are entering the foray as well. “Radio stations, TV channels, news channels and even satellite radio like Worldspace are increasingly making use of the medium,” he adds.

    Furniture line Godrej Interio recently involved themselves in multiplex activation, wherein the complete range of Godrej Interio office and kitchen furniture was put up on display. An official from Godrej Interio stated, “We‘ve tried to make the best out of a big film‘s release. Our target audiences are present here in the multiplex and they would be interested in checking out our new range of furnitures.”

    Measuring results

    But how do agencies really measure the effectiveness of cinema activation? Is there a recording medium which is reliable to ensure the number of people that have seen the communication message of the brand ?

    Thakar says, “There is no defined measuring medium as with television. Statistics are measured by the reports of the occupancy of the auditorium. Multiplex owners are a main source of information on strategic placements in the multiplex. We also send our independent teams who conduct a research on high-traffic areas in the multiplex.”

    Bhagwat, however, states, “Advertisers are still hesitant to use this medium because unlike television, there is no reliable measuring medium. Therefore we‘ve set up our own team at Lintas, called Intellect, which will study how strategically we can place brands under cinema activation.”

    Shah has a different point of view. He says, “Cinema activation is more of experiental medium, hence conventional forms like eyeballs, reach frequency and cost per thousands would not be the correct yardstick to measure the medium. However, I believe tangible results are still available and efficacy of the medium is high.”

    Engagement and experience with target audiences

    Brands however agree on getting a direct interactive platform with their target audiences, thanks to cinema activation. Rath says, “We‘re doing a lot of sampling activities wherein our main Sec A 15+ audiences are regular patrons at the movies.”

    Multiplexes are also high catchment areas for the product sampling. “Audience profiles are such who are more open to trying out new products, giving feedback and information on user preferences and telling us about their consumption habits. Moreover they have the purchasing power,” says Thakar. “Therefore extensive database collection is done due to our interaction, which further adds on the measurability of the medium,” he adds.

    The marketability factor

    But what determines a marketer‘s inclination towards a particular film? “It‘s the marketability,” says Shah. Elaborating, he adds, “Star cast is another crucial factor but the legacy of the producers to use brand activations is also important. Cinema activation offers an alternate revenue stream for them as well, apart from the box office collections and a host of movie rights.”

    Bhagwat says that multiplex owners have also benefited from cinema activation since, it offers them a revenue source just in case the film‘s collections are not impressive. “At the multiplex, fortunes change every Friday. Through cinema activation, exhibitors have a back-up just in case the film‘s collections are not up-to-the mark,” he says.

    A recent example of smart activation was for the film Cheeni Kum wherein samples and an information booklet of Sugar Free was distributed along with the movie tickets. “It was a smart move, considering that during the interval patrons in the auditorium can look into the booklet and read about the product,” says an analyst. “Due to the sampling, people looked forward to seeing the product placement in the film as well,” he says.

    The future

    Cinema activation is among the several marketing opportunities that that producers are willing to engage in. “Producers are keen to pocket the table profit before a film‘s release. This includes marketing, theatrical, overseas and music rights. This helps marketers bring in a number of brands like it happened for Krissh, wherein over 10 brands were brought on-board for the film,” says an industry observer.

    Marketers, therefore, are expected to bank on the marketability of the film to help brands benefit out of it. The reason why brands are likely to invest more in the medium is the cost-efficiency of the medium. Group M general manager content and entertainment Rajeev Berry says, “Brands are looking at reaching the consumer in a cost-efficient and impactful manner. With big budgets and big stars, cinema is getting bigger in this country and brands would want to establish a synergy with these films.”

    Even cine advertisers who are involved in on-screen activation are looking to involve themselves in off-screen activation in the coming days. QMedia business group manager Ashish Mathur for QCine advertising which worked on blockbuster Sivaji says, “I feel that a combination of activation and on-screen activity can work wonders for a brand. A great example is the award winning HSBC activation clubbed with the on-screen advertising done by Ogilvy Action.”

    By the scheme of things, multiplex activation seems to be a new entry into the media plan for marketers. With the growth in retail and burgeoning size of the movie business, footfalls are likely to increase in multiplexes. However, what remains to be seen is whether brands and advertisers can make cinema activation more engaging and experiential through innovative activities rather than mere kiosks or displays in showcasing promotional material.

    Moreover, with stringent measuring techniques more inroads are expected into analysing whether cinema activation helps translate into sales and branding growth, rather than mere sampling. The customer‘s activity will determine the success of cinema activation.

  • Devotional Music: Another money making segment in the Indian music business

    The Indian music scenario keeps changing all the time. Where Bollywood ruled the roost earlier, gradually indi-pop grounded itself and with its buoyant marketing attracted the listeners. The remix trend closely followed making way for lounge and fusion music. Even with such changes dominating the Indian music market, the devotional/religious genre of music has maintained its stability for more than a decade now.

    Times Music AVP – A&R Rajeeta Hemwani says, “To fight stress, everyone turns to God and that is working out well for us. Starting off with chanting of Gayatri mantra 108 times in a single CD, around a decade ago, Times Music broke the barriers of conventional Bhajans which was the only visible religious music on stands. Times Music managed to sell more than a million copies then; after which the demand for religious music, away from Bhajans and kirtans, started showing up.”

    Statistical Count:

    According to IMI’s Savio D’Souza, “Most of the national label target the 40 major cities of India. There are innumerable minor and independent labels that people aren’t aware of. Many of them even produce albums in regional languages. For the major labels, shlokas and mantras sell the most since they cater to the upper middle class of the population. The other labels, who target the lower strata of society, know that bhajans and kirtans on the cassettes sell the most.”

    IMI gets just 5 per cent in revenue and 15 per cent in volume from religious music. Of the total Rs 4 – 5 billion music business in India, religious music accounts to Rs 250 million only and makes up for 10-15 per cent of the market share presently.

    Adds Hemwani, “For Times music, 40-50 per cent of the revenue is generated from religious music. For the past seven to eight years, the demand for devotional music is escalating. Today, it’s more about mantras; like the mantras for peace, for the well being of a new born, for pregnant ladies, for rejuvenation, relaxation and its likes.”

    Today, people demand spiritual over devotional under the religious genre. Sales by genre statistics show that where film music accounts for 70 per cent, religious music has only 4 per cent sales. Distribution of music by genre reveals new film music contributes to 40 per cent followed by old film music, which accounts for 21 per cent and then comes devotional music, accounting to around 10 per cent of the total distribution.

    D’Souza further adds, “As far as value is concerned, today religious music contributes to Rs 250 million. This can by no means become Rs 5 billion.”

    For smaller labels like Sagarika Music Pvt. Ltd. things are very different.

    Adds Sagarika Music director Sagarika Bam, “Religious music falls in two categories, devotional and spiritual. We usually are linked with the niche segment. 20 per cent of our revenue is generated from religious music. With our Bengali and Marathi albums, we account for around 8 per cent of the market in India.”

    The Scope for Independent labels:

    With around 10,000 publishers and approximately 40,000 new titles every year, the domestic market is indeed a large market. Now when many temples and other independent labels are coming up with their own religious music records; a confident, Music Today assistant marketing manager Roli Chaturvedi adds, “These independent labels don’t look threatening as we have been in the market for a long time now and the audience can relate to us better than other labels that are creeping up.”

    Hemwani also comments, “I know, many of these temples and

    small time labels are invading this segment, but one can’t deny the presence of a brand. Cost conscious people would rather purchase music from non-established labels, but people looking out for quality don’t compromise. In fact, when Siddhivinayak came up with their aarti and Shlokas, Times Music marketed it for them.” New devotional releases have to reach the target audience well on time. Hence, not many minor labels with a limited reach are able to sustain their leadership and generate profits.

    Diversity of the Genre:

    About the variety this segment offers, Chaturvedi says, “There are a couple of common mantras that sell the most like the Gayatri mantra and Hanuman Chalisa. But there are so many unexplored mantras that we, as a music label, are trying to come up with. They are exceptional and unconventional shlokas. Majority of people follow the common shlokas, but there are many as well who demand these unconventional shlokas which not many labels are aware of. We are working on offering more and more variety in the exceptional category.”

    Piracy Problems:

    Pirates has not spared even this genre of music. But, there exists a differential pricing policy here. While the target audience for film music is bulky, there is a comparatively low demand for devotional music. Hence, these albums are retailed at higher prices by national labels. Also, the demand for devotional music tends to be more or less festival-oriented. This has a strong bearing on pricing policies. Shares Gupta, “Due to piracy, the recovery cost becomes problematic. For Universal, not more than 10-15 percent of revenue is obtained from religious music after cutting down the money lost due to piracy.”

    Bidding the Money:

    To prove the kind of money this segment is generating, Hemwani adds, “The music industry is creating awareness about such beautiful music present on the stands, so we know that the market share for religious music will either remain stable or increase further. It can by no means decline. In fact, today this is such a prolific segment to make money that Yash Raj Music, which was earlier just ‘Bollywood’, is now doing an album on Sai Baba.” Sagarika Music follows a different pricing strategy altogether as compared to national labels. For them, working on Marathi and other regional language albums is of more importance, as the lower strata of society demands more music in such languages.

  • Non news is good news

    Do we need entertainment channels at all? Violence, sex, comedy and drama – it‘s all available on our home grown news channels.


    I am fairly certain that soaps recorded a dip last week, when news channels went ga ga, first over the Richard Gere-Shilpa Shetty clinch on stage and then into a tizzy trying to get a sneak peek at the big Bachchan wedding that no one seems to have enough of. For those who like a bit of action, there was enough footage of the rampage at the Star News office doing the rounds too. And for late night voyeurs, nowadays there‘s India TV offering a live call in show that talks about, what else, sex.


    Of course, neither the Gere-Shetty incident nor the Abhi-Ash extravaganza deserved the kind of attention it is getting. In what has become the norm for news channels, the innocuous embrace played out in an endless loop on screen wherever you cared to flick, and the accompanying commentary made it appear as though the entire nation‘s modesty had been outraged by the Hollywood actor.


    Gere may have gone a bit overboard, but Shetty had taken the incident in her
    stride, laughing it off and had to appear on TV itself to exhort media ‘not to make a fool of themselves in front of the world‘. As for Gere, he wisely stayed away from comment. The unwarranted attention to the two minute incident however was enough for the country‘s moral police to jump on to the bandwagon and disrupt subsequent press conference, and getting their own share of the limelight. When again, naturally, the TV cameras were on hand to capture the brouhaha. Our news seems to be made up of a series of non-news events these days.


    After panting like bloodhounds after Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar, the media pack has now targeted the wedding of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai. Neither the Hurley wedding nor the Abhi-Ash do has extended an invite to the media, but the TV cameras aren‘t letting go, chiefly it appears, just to ensure that no rival channel gets a glimpse or sound byte more than they do. So, you are treated to the laddoo shop owner who‘s come down from Lucknow with a truckful of sweets for Abhishek, the henna sellers who have been commissioned to get the stuff from some remote village or the guys commissioned to bring in the hundred air conditioners for the event. Till late Thursday night, CNN IBN‘s Paras Tomar and company were stationed outside Prateeksha, making inane talk, climbing trees and haggling with neighbourhood watchmen just to sneak into the bungalow and have a look at the festivities. The efforts were all in vain, of course. The other channels are repeatedly airing what‘s next best – footage from films featuring Aishwarya, Viveik Oberoi, Salman Khan, Karisma Kapoor, anything… just to keep talking about the event. Because, naturally, none of the players involved are doing any talking.







    The Star News fracas just showed up how a simple human interest story can make a news channel the target of flared emotions. Interestingly, head honchos of all news channels rallied to the defence of Star News, on air, stressing the need to put up a committed media front against attacks by fundamentalist groups. True. No one knows who can be targeted next.


     








     

    Over on entertainment channels, it was a with a twinge of sadness that one had to bid adieu to Shah Rukh‘s KBC this week. The guy had just slipped comfortably into the skin of the character he was playing, and the wit and humour had just begun to show. But better to leave when at the top, than leave after the audience is jaded.


    The same cannot be said of the several new soaps that have launched in the last few months. After an initial push of two to three weeks, they all seem to slip into auto pilot mode, preferring the conventional route taken by all soaps before them. Kaajjal , Maayka, Paraya Dhan, Virasat… none of the shows appears to have a track that‘s worthy of a mention. Sony‘s Jeete Hain Jiske Liye, which hasn‘t really lived up to the standards one usally associates with producers Tony and Deeya Singh, is now going in for a leap. This soon? The show has barely been on air for two months. But a leap at least temporary respite in ratings. If that too doesn‘t work out, will Jeete Hain… go the Kulvaddhu way? Does anyone even remember Kulvaddhu?


    Couch potato‘s pick of the week – Karan Johar‘s interaction with Jaya Bachchan and Hema Malini last weekend in which he got Jaya to say that Viveik Oberoi ‘is on a mission‘. KJo‘s getting better every week… wonder what he will get Rakhee Sawant to say when she appears on the show next?

  • Digitalisation of films can help end piracy, save foreign exchange
     

    NEW DELHI: Digitalization of cinema is vital in controlling the distribution and exhibition of cinema in digital format and safeguarding intellectual property since the Indian film industry faces almost 40 per cent revenue pilferage due to piracy, according to a Planning Commission study.

    The sub-group on ‘Going Digital’ set up by the Planning Commission and headed by Rajeeva Ratna Shah, member secretary in the Planning Commission and a former CEO of Prasar Bharati,, said in its report that going digital would be incomplete if the entertainment (film) sector is not covered. Furthermore, safeguarding the intellectual property rights of the industry would encourage filmmaker to a great extent. The digital cinema system is already a reality in the country and would revolutionize the exhibition of films all over India.

    Issues of piracy plague software industry the world over. In terms of money, the industry loses approximately Rs 20 billion on account of piracy directly, on which the government neither earns Entertainment Tax nor Income Tax. digital cinema would help curb piracy in a proactive manner as it will make the pirates business unviable by providing an early and widespread release of films across the country and thus nipping piracy in the bud. Furthermore, as there is no physical movement of the film, creation of pirated copies/versions of the film is ruled out.
     

    The sub-group said the early availability of films combined with high quality images and scheduling flexibility ensure increased box office collections. Early migrants to the digital cinema system have witnessed around 100 per cent increase in revenue collections by way of increased box office collections and thus increased collection of Entertainment Tax and Income Tax.

    It said film prints are made from film stock imported from companies like Kodak, Agfa etc. Going by an average of 800 films, 200 prints each at a cost of Rs.50,000 per print entails an expense of Rs 8 billion. As the prints cannot be recycled, it is a waste of money once it completes its life. However, digital cinema does not use any prints, hence minimizing wastage and at the same time saving the country precious foreign exchange.

    With the advent of Digital Cinema, niche cinema and regional language films will be able to generate revenues, thus making the local film industry in the states more commercially viable. This will provide employment to local artistes and technicians and other film industry related infrastructural suppliers.
     

    Analogue prints are made from polyester and are destroyed by burning which is a huge biohazard. Digital prints are digital files and can be simply erased from the server’s memory. The Power consumption of a digital projection system is far more economical as compared to the power consumption of an optical projection system. The annual power savings if digital cinema is implemented in around 200 theatres across the country works out to 87,48,000 KVA.

    The print quality does not deteriorate with repeated use irrespective of the number of screenings. Small town cinemas plagued by piracy and failure of films coupled with availability of only old films have become economically unviable. However digital cinema will bring the small town cinemas at par to the cinema halls in the big cities as the films can be simultaneously released across the country. The advent of digital cinema has seen proliferation of new and compact cinema houses in small towns and cities.

    But the Sub-group said the government should provide incentives for production as well as exhibition of films in the digital format in its own interest as the loss of revenue due to piracy is considerable. Production of cinema in digital format could be on lower tax regime and theatres that have installed digital cinema exhibition facilities can be subjected to lower entertainment tax.

    Furthermore, there is need to amend the Cinematograph Act 1952 to incorporate digital cinema. digital rights management/IPR protection is of paramount importance in view of piracy. Many content owners would be apprehensive in sharing their content as piracy is a major issue. Hence, adequate laws to protect the rights of the content owners need to be put in place so that they feel safe to share their content over digital platforms.

    As small and medium players would find it difficult to digitize their respective libraries in the light of huge conversion cost, content aggregators could be encouraged and a suitable regulatory/policy regime worked out to make this happen in a hassle free manner.

  • Ficci seeks widespread benefits, exemptions for digital cinema

    NEW DELHI: The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) has demanded various benefits for the digital cinema industry, including tax holiday under Income Tax, exemption from MAT and DDT, 100 per cent depreciation benefit, sales tax exemption and customs benefits.

    Topping the list of demands is a 10-year income tax holiday, just as is done in the case of various types of infrastructure development, including creation of trunking, broadband network and tax holidays multiplexes.

    The Ficci document has also strongly stressed the definite need for removal of service tax in the case of this “fledgling industry”,
     

    It has shown that at various stages, from conversion of analogue images to digital and the time of being actual screening, the players – operators, distributors, rentals for service providers, etc. pay several times.

    “All the services described in the business model above attract a levy of service tax at 12% plus 2% education cess thereon, albeit under different service categories. It is submitted that for an industry in its infancy, a cost of 12.24% of its revenues will have a significant adverse affect on its prospects, if not serve to destroy it altogether,” Ficci has emphasised.

    The document spelling out Ficci’s budgetary wishlist says that digital cinema has tremendous benefits, not the least of which is less burden on the environment, which is the ground on which it has demanded 100 depreciation benefit for the sector.

    The document argues that analogue prints are made from polyester films and are destroyed by burning, which is a huge bio-hazard. Digital prints are mere digital files and can be simply erased from our server’s memory. Hence, film waste removal is taxing on the environment, because polyester films cannot be recycled.
     

    Ficci has suggested the development of digital cinema infrastructure that would benefit the industry hugely.

    It argues that this will increase box office collections, generate rural employment and curb piracy, as well create savings in foreign exchange and minimize wastage in print.

    “In India”, the document argues, “software piracy has assumed gigantic proportions. Ficci studies estimate that the Indian film industry loses almost 42 per cent revenue due to piracy.

    “In absolute terms this amounts to approximately Rs 2,000 crore on account of piracy. This is money on which the government earns neither Entertainment Tax nor Income Tax.

    “An early and widespread release of movies, enabled by digital cinema will act as an effective deterrent to piracy,” it says.

    Ficci also says that early migrants to the digital cinema system have reported more than 100 per cent increase in revenue collections by way of increased box office collections due to early screening of movies.

    “Needless to mention, this has also translated into enhanced collections of Entertainment and Income Tax,” stressed the document.

    Digital cinema makes niche cinema and regional language films more commercially viable. This will, in turn, generate employment for local artists and technicians and other regional film industry related infrastructural suppliers, holds Ficci.

    It has stressed that digital cinema infrastructure equipment, particularly the digital projector and digital movie compressor, which attract the peak rate of custom duty, be given exemption.

    “Since these items are not manufactured in India and are a very heavy cost burden to the provider these should be treated at par with hi-tech and information technology sector items with customs duty being reduced to nil,” suggests Ficci.

    Ficci has also recommended that the state governments give lease tax exemption to the new industry.

    Considering the way digital cinema infrastructure is poised to revolutionise the films and visual arts exhibition in the country, with multi-fold advantages to all the constituents of the society, (viz. the content owner, the theatre owner, the tax administration, and the general public as the ultimate consumer), it certainly deserves a whole hearted support from the Government of India, Ficci feels.

    “And as elucidated above, a strong Digital Cinema Infrastructure would, in the long run, pay back more than what it is requesting for now.”