ITV

Category: Production House

  • Prime Focus launches CSR arm ‘Naresh Malhotra Foundation’

    Prime Focus launches CSR arm ‘Naresh Malhotra Foundation’

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Limited, the world’s largest media services powerhouse launched its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm ‘Naresh Malhotra Foundation’ in Mumbai on 2ndOctober 2014, the occasion of Founder and Chairman Emeritus Naresh Malhotra’s 70th birthday. The initiative was flagged off by Naresh Malhotra in the presence of staff, family and friends. Founder, Executive Chairman and Global CEO of Prime Focus, Namit Malhotra joined by video conference.

     

    Naresh Malhotra has been the guiding force behind Prime Focus’ stupendous success from being a garage start up in 1997 to becoming the world’s largest independent and integrated media services company with over 5500 people across 16 cities, 4 continents and 7 time zones.

     

    A veteran in the Indian Film and Television industry, Nareshji as he is fondly called, commenced his career as an Associate Director and Controller of Production with the well-known director Ashit Sen, with whom he made several films, including Khamoshi, Safar and Anokhi Raat, before venturing into producing films on his own, making four films including Shahenshah, with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan as the lead star. Malhotra realized early the potential boom in the Indian television industry, and set up India’s first digital audio studio and then, in 1990, ventured into the business of providing services for the production of TV programs and advertising films by hiring out video equipment like cameras, recorders and monitors to various satellite channels, production houses and ad filmmakers. He was instrumental in the launch of Prime Focus in 1997 and to this day continues to play an active role.

     

    The Foundation will focus on social issues like education and healthcare, and engage with prominent NGOs. It will also work closely with media and entertainment industry associations to offer scholarships for multimedia education and provide financial aid towards better healthcare for retired technicians. Prime Focus will run internal campaigns to drive volunteerism among its globally distributed workforce and organize events like charity balls and movie screenings in cities like Los Angeles, Vancouver, London and Singapore to spread the message and facilitate contributions.

     

    Speaking on this special occasion, Namit Malhotra said “Whatever we have achieved is thanks to the unstinted support and patronage we have received from the media and entertainment industry, and the guidance and blessings of my father. We want to do whatever little we can for the industry. Education and Healthcare have been two causes very dear to my father. On his 70th birthday what better way to thank him for all that he has been and will be to us, as well as the industry that gave us all the success”.

  • Scripps Networks to launch 1,200 hours of original programming at MIPCOM 2014

    Scripps Networks to launch 1,200 hours of original programming at MIPCOM 2014

    MUMBAI: Scripps Networks International that develops home, food and travel lifestyle content, announced that its newly established program sales and distribution division will introduce 1,200 hours of fresh content at MIPCOM 2014.

     

    This will include its network channels Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel. “The breadth of Scripps Networks offering includes a vibrant mix of home, food and travel content spanning culinary competition, adventure, food travelogues, home make-over, property and investment shows,” said International Program Licensing and Distribution VP Hud Woodle. “With genuine storytelling, compelling personalities and high entertainment value at the core of every show, Scripps Networks’ high-quality lifestyle and factual entertainment programming is a must-have for programmers.” He added.

     

    The following are a few key titles featured in the MIPCOM 2014 sales catalogue.

     

    Home                                                       

    TV icon William Shatner is going boldly into a brand new adventure in The Shatner Project (Scott Sternberg Productions for DIY Network, 6 x 30) – as project manager of his own remodel. He’s giving his outdated 1980s home a full makeover, from demolition to rebuilding and design to decorating.

     

    For third-generation alligator farmers Britney, Kasey and Chelsea Brooks, no task is too tough when you’re Growing Up Gator (2C Media for Great American Country, 6 x 30), whether it’s raising over 7,000 gators at their family farm to wrangling massive gators during rescue missions.

     

    A hit restoration series Salvage Dawgs (Trailblazer Studios, NC, Inc. for DIY Network, 52 x 30) sees co-owners of premier architectural salvage operation Black Dog Salvage bid on condemned homes and buildings in order to secure valuable vintage pieces to resell.

     

    Also making its market debut is the show House Hunters franchise, including hit spinoffs House Hunters International: Where Are They Now? (Leopard Films for HGTV, 10 x 30), where we revisit the most memorable families to check out their amazing renovations, and House Hunters: Off the Grid (Leopard Films for HGTV, 5 x 30), which takes house hunting to the extreme as buyers tour unconventional properties way off the beaten path.

     

    Food

    Scripps Networks’ food programme Bite This with Nadia G (Tricon Films and Television for Cooking Channel, 14 x 30) and Restaurant Redemption for Asian cuisine.(Lion TV for Cooking Channel, 26 x 30).

     

    Travel

    Scripps Networks’ travel series transport adrenaline seekers and voyeuristic travelers alike. From the depths of the jungle comes Hotel Amazon (Crazy Legs Productions for Travel Channel, 6 x 60), a fascinating look at the grueling experience of building a world-class resort in the middle of the Amazon.

     

    The ultimate house gazing road trip goes beyond the gate in Mega Mansions (Indigo Films for Travel Channel, 6 x 30), as viewers get an exclusive look at America’s most enormous and opulent mansions.

     

    Take a trip with adventure seeker Don Wildman as he explores America’s most extraordinary monuments and intriguing events and characters in Monumental Mysteries (Optomen Productions, Inc. for Travel Channel, 40 x 60).          

     

     

  • Viacom’s Cineshorts: Big break to Bollywood for students

    Viacom’s Cineshorts: Big break to Bollywood for students

    MUMBAI: To promote its upcoming release Mary Kom, Viacom18 announced a short film contest early last month called Cineshorts allowing aspiring filmmakers and documentary makers to submit five-minute long films on the theme ‘Against All Odds’.

     

    With cash prize worth Rs 1,00,000 for the winner and a chance to be premiered on Pepsi MTV Indies, the registrations have touched the 400 registration mark and the deadline for submission has been pushed to 30 September from  15 August.

     

    Viacom18 Motion Pictures marketing head Rudrarup Dutta said, “As a studio, it is our constant endeavor to identify and promote fresh talent in the industry. Cineshorts is an initiative that provides an exclusive opportunity for budding filmmakers. We believe this is an effective platform for us to identify new talent and nurture an ecosystem that allows fresh talent to contribute new vision and fresh ideas.”

     

    Cineshorts was held in seven cities targeting a total of 28 colleges across Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Manipal, Bangalore, Pune, Delhi/ NOIDA and Kolkata. MICA, Government Film and Television Institute, Indian Institute of Mass Media and Communication, St. Xavier’s College, Manipal Institute of Communication, Whistling Woods International School of Film-making, and Symbiosis College (BBM) were among other colleges that participated in Cineshorts.

     

    The contest will see short movies made on a number of themes. While one participant, a 22-year old BCom graduate, Raj Sampad is making a docu-fiction Dreaming With Sand,  based on the real life story of the most famous sand sculptor in India, Padma Shri Sudarsan Pattnaik, Yogendra Kumaria’s movie focuses on the common man, who has to fight against the rising expenditure and inflation every month, and finally comes out as a winner.

     

    Different participants also revealed various motivations to take part in the contest.Wwhile for some the Rs 1,00,000 cash prize was the focus, others concentrated more on the chance to showcase their work on television.

     

    A student of MGR Govt Film and Television Institute, Janardhan Chikkanna said, “As a short film maker what attracted me towards the competition is the platform to reach a wider audience, which would have been very difficult to reach on my own.”

     

    Adding to that another participant,  Narsee Monjee College graduate Devansh Doshi said, “The motivation for applying is to have professionals see your work and guide you for your future films. It also serves as a great platform for communicate with people of similar interests. Cineshorts has helped me to bring forward my film to a lot of people who have been a part of the industry for years.”

     

    The contest, according to Dutta is solely a Viacom18 Motion Pictures initiative. Speaking on the same he added, “Cineshorts is a Viacom18 Motion Pictures registered property that we plan to nurture and cultivate on a regular basis. The start of this initiative was with Mary Kom but there will be a second season, so to speak, every six months or a year with an upcoming project on our slate. The plan is to up the ante for contestants with every edition and to release the best short film before the feature film so that we can establish the crux of the feature film as well as give the aspiring filmmaker a theatrical release reaching out to a wide audience.”

     

    The campaign is mainly targeting young, aspiring filmmakers who may otherwise not receive a competitive outlet to display their work. “The initiative caters to all Bollywood lovers who want to make it big in the industry without the crutches of family legacy or a godfather,” Dutta reckoned.

     

    Commenting on the marketing and promotion of the campaign, the marketing head revealed,” Since this concept was targeted towards youth, we advertised on platforms that they haunt daily, therefore a large investment on the digital front was the obvious choice. A teaser that said ‘Movie Banane ke Liye Talent Chahiye, Babaji ki Jooti Nahi!’ led the campaign on digital video platforms. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter ensured both awareness as well as engagement. Also, the association with the film Mary Kom helped in garnering attention and traction with a wide cross section of the TG.”

     

    The company also carried out on ground promotions with seminars in colleges that have it as part of their syllabi for mass media and film courses. 

  • “Non-fiction is expensive, hence need to strengthen fiction”: Siddharth Anand Kumar

    “Non-fiction is expensive, hence need to strengthen fiction”: Siddharth Anand Kumar

    MUMBAI: Vidya Balan’s famous line about entertainment sells, stay true to the television business as well.

     

    With new channels launched and new genres explored every now and then, the production houses have a lot on their platter. One such production house, Colosceum, known for its non-fictional properties like Roadies, Splitsvilla recently got on board Siddharth Anand Kumar as scripted content head to strengthen its overall approach.

     

    A graduate in filmmaking, he has worked as an assistant to Mira Nair during the making of Kamasutra (1995), as DOP and editor for Bobby Bedi during the production of the TV series Rajdhani (2000), and as the executive producer for Shekhar Kapur’s company Digital Talkies during which he oversaw the production of two feature films and the country’s first International Digital Film Festival (2001).

     

    He has directed two films: Let’s Enjoy (2004), a film about a Delhi farmhouse party, and Semshook (2010), a coming of age story set in the Tibetan exile community. And his TV projects include Seven and Khotey Sikkey by Yash Raj Films on Sony and Mahabharat by Swastik Pictures on Star Plus.

     

    “We have a partnership with Colosceum. And our aim is to bring in some really interesting new content into the Indian television which is currently happening and we want to be a part of it,” says Kumar while elaborating on his role.  “In the industry there is a position of content director and director and I will be mixing both these roles. It is also something which the channels want and are eager to do because it is the director who makes the show. And sometimes we have creative director who doesn’t engage in day to day procedure of the show or while communicating with the broadcasters. We want to bridge that gap.”

     

    He along with the Colosceum team is currently busy conceiving and pitching ideas to broadcasters, which will then be taken forward if the broadcaster shows interest.  

     

    The production house is known for its seasonal shows, but with this hire it wants to strengthen its fiction side as well. Kumar goes on to explain why. “Colosceum had non-fiction bend but if you look at the trend, all the big production houses whether they are Endemol or Fremantle, you will see a small shift little away from non-fiction because non-fiction costs a lot. And the numbers that you get are pretty much the same as a hit fiction property. So, everyone understands that the return of investment is higher on fiction. Producers who have had a very strong non-fiction background like Colosceum need to partner with strong fiction heads to tell the broadcasters ‘look we have the right team in place’.”

     

    Furthermore, he believes channels are now moving towards fiction. Stating the example of how Bindass, which once used to air shows like Big Switch and Dadagiri, today has fiction shows. Similarly Channel V and MTV have now become youth general entertainment channels (GECs).

     

    Moreover, even GECs which offered their viewers two to three non-fictional properties over weekend, now only have one such property. 

     

    “Take Colors for instance, apart from Jhalak Dikhla Ja it doesn’t air any other non-fictional property on the weekend. I won’t take Comedy Nights with Kapil to be one as it is scripted. The trend is indicating that every channel is putting their money into one non-fiction show because they are expensive and rest on fiction,” he says and adds, “Right now we are in the phase when there is a greater demand for fiction than non-fiction. At some time, the circle might change again. So, this is a good time to generate some quality fiction content and strengthen it so we are able to serve the broadcaster in both the genres.”

     

    Kumar believes that as audiences mature, the content will change as well and hence, channels are moving towards younger content as well as dealing with social issues apart from the regular saas-bahu dramas. Another aspect which is also a main reason for this shift in content today is the demand from the advertisers. “The consumer categories which are very hot at the moment are smartphones, cars and e-commerce, and they need to talk to a younger-skewed audience not only in metros but also in tier I and II cities where there is high aspirational power. Youth has more spending power because as one grows older, the commitments/priorities change. So advertisers need to talk to them and hence broadcasters need to create content for this audience.”

     

    One needs to just turn on the TV to see who is advertising so if it’s a Karbonn mobile it doesn’t want to advertise on Saath Nibana Saathiya but need a show like Airlines or Shastri Sisters.

     

    In the coming years, he proposes that as more and more people start consuming content on digital, production houses might have to start making specific content for that medium and also learn how to monetise it well. As media proliferates there is going to be more fragmentation and niche programming.

     

    Hence, Colosceum will focus on creating tailor-made shows for broadcasters based on what that broadcaster wants in its programming lineup. Currently, the team has a lot of ideas on the platter and will soon approach broadcasters with the innovative and interesting ideas.

     

    In his 12 years career, Kumar says that even today “we don’t know what the audience wants.” There is still a lot of guess work even though there are various research agencies doing a lot of footwork. So when it comes to talking to the audience and seducing them with the work there is still a bit of hit and miss. “We usually have the tendency of coping what becomes a hit, but it won’t serve our purpose as we will start creating same content that will create fatigue amongst audiences.”

     

    “We need to provide a varied content to audience which is also dynamic. So that we can learn what the audience wants,” he concludes.

     

  • Fremantlemedia set to enthrall global audiences with trailblazing new formats

    Fremantlemedia set to enthrall global audiences with trailblazing new formats

    MUMBAI: FremantleMedia will launch a range of sensational new formats at MIPCOM 2014 that are set to provide buyers with even more original, creative and exciting ideas to thrill audiences around the world.

     

    Rob Clark, Director of Global Entertainment said: “Our MIPCOM 2014 slate is incredibly strong and really delivers creative, original formats that have a proven ratings track record. I believe that we’ve got something for every broadcaster for both their prime-time and access schedules, l am very excited by the calibre of shows we have to offer and can’t wait for the market….bring it on.”

     

    First off the block is high-octane entertainment format, Master Athletes, a development from FremantleMedia North America. This intense and ground breaking reality show is a visually stunning prime-time reality competition where 24 ultra-fit members of the public, prepare themselves for a gruelling 10-week challenge. The athletes teamed in mixed sex pairs live, eat, sleep and train together in the Master Athletes Village where relationships develop, alliances are formed and the intense battle begins. To win, the teams must conquer 10 sporting disciplines. Each episode sees the athletes’ fitness and teamwork tested to the max as they take part in different events to qualify for the next round. The top teams from the first two events leap to the next episode while the two lowest placed teams compete in a final head to head duel for the last remaining qualification spot. As the competition heats up, only the strongest team can survive and claim victory. Master Athletes was the second highest rated show of the week in Sweden and it was Sweden’s highest rated new summer season launch since 2011. Produced by FremantleMedia Sweden for SVT, the Swedish version (Swedish title – Athlets) launched in August 2014.

     

    Heaven or Hell, devised by FremantleMedia owned UFA Show & Factual, is a game of two halves. The hit gameshow launched this summer on ProSieben’s Pro.7 and became the channel’s highest rated new entertainment launch of the year so far having achieved Germany’s highest ratings of 2014 amongst the commercial target of 14-49 year olds.

     

    Heaven or Hell is at times shocking, and devilishly different to other traditional gameshows. Heaven, a quiz set bathed in white lights, is a place where contestants attempt to win up to €50K by correctly answering a series of multiple choice questions. If they’re unsure of an answer, but wish to continue playing they have to descend into HELL, a fiery pit where they must successfully complete a Hellish and hilarious Jackass-style challenge. The format is a must see TV event with a blend of traditional quiz and a unique style of questioning where anything can happen. Heaven or Hell is a brilliantly promotable and hilarious gameshow in which contestants need to be fearless and game for a challenge. Anyone winning on Heaven or Hell is sure to have been to Hell and back.

     

    FremantleMedia will test audience’s celebrity knowledge with the launch of Celebrity Name Game. Originally developed by Courteney Cox and David Arquette, the format is co-produced by FremantleMedia North America and Debmar-Mercury. This celebrity packed, quick-thinking gameshow combines the best of pop culture with laugh-out-loud comedy as celebrities team up with contestants to identify famous names including actors, singers, athletes, pop culture figures, politicians and even cartoon characters, using only improvised clues. Debuting as a daily strip in the US this September, Celebrity Name Game is on track to deliver huge laughs and huge audiences with a host of celebrity guests.

     

    My Mom Cooks Better Than Yours, produced by Mandarina in Spain, will be cooking up a storm at MIPCOM 2014. The fast-paced culinary gameshow combines cooking, competition and family dynamics in the ultimate recipe for success. A comedy of cooking errors and kitchen calamities are guaranteed when two teams, a Mother and their culinary challenged son or daughter, compete against one another for a tasty cash prize. With the clock ticking, tempers can soon start to boil-over as the contestant has to listen carefully to their mom who is watching – and interfering – from the sidelines. If things start to go wrong the Mom can push a ‘panic button’ which allows them to intervene, but it also makes the time wind down twice as fast. Once each team has had their turn, a food critic blind tastes both dishes and reveals which contestant’s ‘mom cooks better.’ A cooking show with a secret ingredient, My Mom Cooks Better Than Yours broadcasts daily on Cuatro and is in its third series.

     

    Last up is Virtually Famous, an inventive new panel show format. From globally famous viral memes and twitter rants, to the greatest YouTube posts and Vine shorts, three rival teams battle it out for points over the online moments that have got millions of us laughing. The stars behind the classic clips will also be celebrated with special guest appearances from some of the creators of the online content. Virtually Famous is originated by FremantleMedia owned Talkback and Hungry Bear Media, and was originally produced for E4 in the UK where it is hosted by Glee star Kevin McHale.

     

    Visit FremantleMedia at MIPCOM 2014 at Stand No. C11.A1 (Croisette 11, Aisle 1), Palais du Festival, 13 – 16 October.

  • “Not international but Indian production houses get sentiments right”

    “Not international but Indian production houses get sentiments right”

    MUMBAI: The recent video of Alia Bhatt uploaded by comedy collective All India Bakchod (AIB) ‘Genius of the Year’ once again brought out the power of digital to the forefront.

    Today, brands are increasing their marketing spends on the medium as they create interesting videos to connect with the audiences. And thanks to this, a number of independent production houses have mushroomed which specialise in telling a story.

    One such production house is the The Square Peg Films (TSPF), started by Pooja Mishra and Praveen Sharma in late 2013. Like a picture says a thousand words, the videos say a lot more, with this thought on their minds the two began freelancing as a form of preparation and a diploma course and made a few other films as well. They did all this for around 3-4 years before taking the plunge.

    Mishra and Sharma were working with digital agencies before they came together to explore their skills as they became part of various projects to give them the much needed push and confidence. Beyond the personal ambitions and interest of venturing into videos, they also noticed a gap in the market, which was created owing to lack of smart and a little more involved production houses that make process of video production easier and not otherwise.

    So what separates them from the others? “We are not just a production house that helps brands or agencies execute their ideas in terms of videos, but also a video production agency that has the capability to pick up briefs, understand the marketing objectives behind them, conceptualise ideas and then bring them to life. This is the reason why our clientele has a good mix of both brands and agencies,” both say unanimously while stating that a few of their work like the TVC for Rediff.com or a corporate video with Thomas Cook, has been with brands directly.

    Another thing that sets them apart is their range of work, so they claim. “Mostly, there are two categories of production houses, ones that do TVCs, and the others that are into corporate films and animation. We do it all,” says Sharma. In the past 11 months of their operation they have done a TVC, plenty of animation videos and international assignments as well.

    Click here to watch the video

    At present, there are 12 people working with the production house on a full-time basis, while there are a few others that work with it on project basis primarily on pre and post production stages.

    “Though we serve as end-to-end video solution providers, in our opinion, our strength is in pre-production, which includes conceptualisation and scripting. Further, our background and instincts give us an edge over others when it comes to shoot based content,” says Mishra.

    The clientele includes Puma, MTS India, Oakley India, Aegis Global, Thomas Cook, Lipton Ice Tea, Sab, Kokuyo Camlin, Rediff.com, and many more. The production house reaches out to brands and their past work talks for itself. “A couple of good projects to show got us more work in return,” highlights Mishra.

    When asked if international production houses form any threat to Indian houses, Sharma says, “There are different kind of videos, a few of them are high on technicality others on sentiment. International production houses might be becoming a preferred option when it comes to videos high on visual effects and other technical details, but when it comes to getting the sentiments right, there is no replacement for the Indian counterparts.”

  • FremantleMedia Asia joins hands with DJ’s Creative Unit

    FremantleMedia Asia joins hands with DJ’s Creative Unit

    MUMBAI: It’s time for celebrations for two of the biggest production companies. In order to strengthen its scripted activity in the Indian sub-continent and across the world, FremantleMedia Asia has joined hands with DJ’s Creative Unit, one of India’s most successful scripted production company.

     

    FremantleMedia Asia will work with DJ’s owners, Tony and Deeya Singh, to develop and produce a number of drama titles for the Indian market.

     

    With offices in Singapore, Beijing, Bangkok, Jakarta and Mumbai, and servicing the entirety of Asia, FremantleMedia Asia produces world class content from the large scale talent competitions for which it is best known, including Idol, X Factor, and Got Talent, to long running game shows such as Family Feud.

     

    On DJ’s Creative Unit part, it has created some of India’s most memorable TV series including Just Mohabbat, Jab Love Hua, Left Right Left, Chhoti Bahu and Parvarish as well as India’s first ground-breaking teenage soap Banegi Apni Baat.

     

    The partnership with DJ’s will reinforce its commitment to grow its scripted business around the world and invest in the opportunities available in emerging markets.

     

    FremantleMedia Asia managing director Paul O’Hanlon believes that DJ’s expertise in the field will help them to grow their scripted catalogue in the market. “We are thrilled to establish this partnership with Tony and Deeya. They are two of India’s most successful scripted producers with a history of successes and a reputation for high quality, ground breaking scripted content in India.”

     

    Tony believes that this alliance will help them take their locally developed content outside India. He further adds, “FremantleMedia is one of the world’s largest producers and distributors of entertainment brands. This is a wonderful progression for us to work together with them on development and production of outstanding content. This alliance will also provide us with the expertise and resources of a distribution network for us to take locally developed content outside India. Deeya and I are thrilled to continue to build our business with this partnership.”

     

    Deeya says, “DJ’s has always been committed to producing scripted shows for wholesome entertainment. We are pleased to partner with FremantleMedia in order to jointly produce high quality content that we believe will strike a responsive chord with Indian audiences. We’re extremely excited about this partnership and look forward to taking this forward.”

     

    Beyond single market productions, FremantleMedia Asia has also demonstrated its strength in pan-regional production having recently produced the widely successful ‘The Apprentice Asia.’

  • Eros International Media and Viacom18 Motion Pictures Announce International Distribution Agreement

    Eros International Media and Viacom18 Motion Pictures Announce International Distribution Agreement

    MUMBAI: Eros  International Media  Limited (“Eros”),  a  leading global  film  company in  the India  film entertainment industry and Viacoml8  Motion Pictures, a division of Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd, a joint venture operation  in India between Viacom Inc. and the Networkl8  Group,  announced today an international  distribution  agreement.   The  deal includes four-films:  Mary Kom- directed by Omung Kumar and starring Priyanka Chopra;, Gabbar- directed by Krish starring Akshay Kumar & Shruti Hassan; Golu Pappu- directed by Kabir Sadanand and starring Dimple Kapadia, Vir Das and Kunal Roy Kapoor; and Santa Banta- directed by Akashdeep Sabir and starring Boman Irani and Vir Das.

     

    Pranab Kapadia, President, Marketing and  Distribution for  Eros  International Pic said, “We  are pleased to work with Viacom18 to present these highly anticipated films to overseas audiences. With our strong international distribution network and marketing capabilities, we anticipate that these films will have successful ru/IS in overseas markets.”

     

    Ajit Andhare, COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures  said, “Indian cinema caters to audiences not just in India, but global v.   This multi-film alliance with Eros will provide the Indian fan base abroad a chance to experience our films that are rich in content and deliver cutting-edge narratives.

     

    Mary  Kom,  the first of the films  to be distributed  internationally  under this alliance,  will  release in over 250 screens  on September 5, 2014.

  • Prime Focus to open new 500 seat facility in Bengaluru SEZ

    Prime Focus to open new 500 seat facility in Bengaluru SEZ

    BENGALURU:  Prime Focus Technologies (PFT), the technology arm of Prime Focus, announced its plans to expand operations in Bengaluru. PFT is now set to open a new facility at RMZ Ecospace that can seat an additional 500 people. PFT has 500 employees at its existing Bengaluru facilities, and is the global R&D and software development hub for the company.

     

    PFT says that it will leverage the market opportunity to monetise its marquee customer base with clients such as Warner Bros. Television Studios, CBS Television Studios, 20th Century Fox Television Studios, Relativity Media, Legendary Pictures, Fox Television Studios, A&E, Showtime, Starz Media and Lionsgate at the new Bengaluru facility.

     

    Click here to read more

  • Eros International Q1 FY15 Net Profit Jumps 22.2 per cent to Rs 358 million

    Eros International Q1 FY15 Net Profit Jumps 22.2 per cent to Rs 358 million

    MUMBAI: Eros International Media Limited (Eros International), a leading global Company in the Indian film entertainment industry, today announced its consolidated financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2014 (Q1 FY2015).

     

    Financial Highlights:

     

    CONSOLIDATED RESULTS FOR Q1 FY2015

     

    ·         Total Income increased by 26.0% to Rs. 2,446.1 million (Rs. 1,942.1 million in Q1 FY2014)

     

    ·         EBIT increased by 29.9% to Rs. 599.3 million (Rs. 461.3 million in Q1 FY2014)

     

    ·         Profit after tax (after minority) increased by 22.2% to Rs. 358.4 million (Rs. 293.4 million in Q1 FY2014)

     

    ·         Diluted EPS stood at Rs. 3.88 (Rs. 3.19 in Q1 FY2014)

     

    Executive Comment:

     

    Eros International Media MD Sunil Lulla said, “The fiscal year commenced on a positive note led by healthy performance of our film portfolio across revenue streams along with the ongoing monetization of library films. We continue to work towards expanding our film content through a diversified approach of acquiring a mix of high, medium and low budget movies across Hindi and other regional languages.

     

    We are focused on driving our new media content distribution strategy through ErosNow and took various strategic initiatives to further strengthen the platform. The acquisition of a controlling stake in Techzone, a leading mobile value added services provider, brings on board expertise in technology and solid distribution reach of mobile digital content. Our partnership with Hathway Cable to launch a subscription based movie streaming service will enable their broadband subscribers to watch our library films from the ErosNow platform.

     

    Given our well-defined business model, unique offerings and an extensive film library, we are best positioned to leverage existing and emerging opportunities in the Indian Media and Entertainment industry.” 

     

    Highlights: 

     

    ·         9 films released during Q1 FY2015: Including 5 Hindi and 4 Tamil films as compared to 12 films during Q1 FY 2014, which included 7 Hindi, 5 Tamil and other regional language films.

     

    o    Of the total movies released during the quarter, 1 movie was high budget & 8 were medium & low budget movies. 

     

    ·         Strong financial performance: Revenues during Q1 FY2015 were primarily driven through library film monetization across multiple platforms and the release of new movies in Hindi, Tamil and other regional languages.

     

    o    The Company is witnessing growth in new platforms for monetization of catalogue movies along with increasing demand on existing platforms.

     

    o    Kochadaiiyaan, a high profile movie starring Rajinikanth, also contributed positively to overall performance through various revenues streams. In-line with the Company’s de-risking strategy, the movie registered strong pre-sales from satellite rights in multiple languages, audio and music rights exploitation, brand tie ups and others. 

     

    ·         Acquisition of Techzone: Eros International acquired a controlling stake in Techzone, a leading mobile value added services provider.

     

    o    Techzone has executed an average of 25 million SMS, WAP or IVR transactions per month over the past three years across 12 major telecom operators in India and bills the customers directly through its billing platform.

     

    o    The acquisition is in sync with Eros International’s focus on building its new media content distribution strategy through ErosNow to participate in the massive opportunity which exists in India with 870 million mobile subscribers (including over 60 million internet enabled smart phones) as of year-end 2013. 

     

    ·         ErosNow’s partnership with Hathway Cable: ErosNow, the Company’s dedicated online entertainment platform offering full length movies and music videos, launched a movie streaming service ‘Broadband Movies’, in partnership with Hathway Cable, one of the leading cable television services provider in India.

     

    o    The streaming service will enable Hathway Broadband customers to watch high quality movies from the ErosNow platform on multiple devices like smart- TVs, PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles.

     

    o    The subscription-based service will be available to Hathway Broadband customers across India. 

     

    ·         Eros Plc follow on equity offering:  Eros Plc successfully closed a follow- on equity offering on July 15, 2014.

     

    o   The Company has received US$ 90 million as net proceeds from this offering based on the offer price of US$ 14.50 per share.