ITV

Category: Post Production

  • Eros International Plc Announces Full and Final Dismissal of Class Action Lawsuit

    Eros International Plc Announces Full and Final Dismissal of Class Action Lawsuit

    MUMBAI: Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros”), a leading global company in the Indian film entertainment industry, today announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has issued a Summary Order affirming the U.S. District Court’s earlier dismissal, with prejudice, of the putative securities class action that was originally filed in November 2015 against Eros and certain of its officers and directors.

    Eros previously disclosed that, on October 23, 2017, lead plaintiffs filed a Notice of Appeal, individually and on behalf of the putative class, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. On August 21, 2018, the Court of Appeals issued a Summary Order affirming the District Court’s dismissal with prejudice.

  • Eros International Plc Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Results

    Eros International Plc Reports First Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Results

    MUMBAI: Eros International Plc (NYSE: EROS) (“Eros” or “the Company”), a leading global Indian film and digital studio, today announced unaudited financial results for the three months ended June 30, 2018.

    Financial Highlights:

    Q1 FY 2019 Highlights

    · Revenue of $60.2 million in Q1 FY2019 compared to $60.8 million in Q1 FY2018.

    · Reported strong Adjusted EBITDA(1) of $19.2 million in Q1 FY2019, compared to $15.8 million in Q1 FY2018, an increase of 21.5 % year-over-year.

    · Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 31.9% in Q1 FY2019, compared to 26.0% in Q1 FY2018.

    · Reported net debt of $186.8 million as on June 30, 2018, compared to $189.2 million as on March 31, 2018 and net leverage ratio of 2.28x. The net debt to equity ratio remains conservative at 18.9%.

    (1)   A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures discussed within this release to our GAAP operating results are included at the end of this release. See also “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

    Key Business Highlights:

    · As of June 30, 2018, Eros Now worldwide paying subscribers increased by 248.3% year-over-year and 27.8% sequentially to 10.1 million. The Company is reiterating its guidance of 16 million paying subscribers by fiscal year end 2019.  

    · As of June 30, 2018, Eros Now has exceeded 113 million registered users worldwide across APP, WAP and Web.

    · Over the next year, Eros Now is planning to launch a stable of feature films, made-for-digital originals films and over 20 original episodic programs, all of which will be available exclusively on Eros Now to paying subscribers. Three original series, Side Hero, Flip and Smoke, will be launched in the next few weeks. Originals will feature popular names like Rohan Sippy, Kunal Roy Kapoor, Rajat Kapoor, Siddharth Anand and Pavan Kriplani in various capacities.

    · Eros Now announced a partnership with InMobi, a leading global digital marketing platform. The partnership will for the first time enable advertisers to directly monetise on Eros Now’s video platform.

    · Eros Now reinforced its mission of non-stop entertainment, anytime, anywhere with one-of-a-kind brand campaign ‘Bolo Kya Dekhogey.’ The campaign, which rolled out three television commercials, reiterates Eros Now’s leadership position in the movie category, offering its extensive movie library across languages.

    · Eros released 14 films in Q1 FY2019 (one medium budget and 13 small budget films) as  compared to five films in Q1 FY2018 (one high budget, one medium budget and three small budget films). This is in line with Eros’ strategy of developing its own intellectual property and concentrating on content-driven films rather than high budget star-driven films.

    · Bhavesh Joshi  (Hindi), Meri Nimmo (Digital release), Blackmail (Overseas), Haami (Bengali), Goodnight City (Bengali), Alinagarer Golokdhadha (Bengali) and others were the main revenue contributing films during the first quarter.

    · Reliance Industries Ltd (“RIL” or “Reliance”) completed its acquisition of a 5% equity stake in Eros at a price of $15 per share for a total cash consideration of $46.6 million on August 6, 2018.

    · On a pro forma basis including the $46.6 million equity investment from RIL, Eros’ net debt as of June 30, 2018 is $140.2 million and the net leverage ratio is 1.71x.

    · Eros formed a ground-breaking joint venture with V. Vijayendra Prasad, one of India’s top screen-writers and directors. The exclusive collaboration will build a quality content pipeline through joint development of scripts and production and distribution of films and web-series.

    · Eros also partnered with Phars Film, one of the UAE’s largest film distribution and exhibition networks. Eros also intends to partner with Pana Film, one of the largest Turkish film studios for Indo-Turkish co-productions.

    · Eros releases ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ in Turkey across 190 screens after over $45 million in box office collection in China.

    · Eros also has a distribution partnership with Central Partnership in Russia, which may open new markets for Eros releases. These strategic partnerships not only help Eros augment its in-house content production model, but also expand the geographical canvas for content monetization.

    Kishore Lulla, Eros’ Group Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated:  

    “We delivered a strong set of results this quarter, underscoring our market leadership, solid business fundamentals and continued growth in our digital platform, Eros Now.  As we continue to develop our digital offering and adapt to the dynamic global media landscape we operate in, I want to reflect on the journey we have taken so far. At our core we are, and always have been, a content company delivering premium Indian filmed entertainment to the masses with unparalleled distribution capacity. Almost 20 years ago, Eros developed the first vertically integrated film studio model in India. We combined premium content production and acquisition abilities with best-in-class international distribution reach. Over the last decade we have witnessed many of the major Hollywood studios make their entries into India. It is a testament to our content offering, brand strength and people that we have been able to maintain and grow our market share in the face of this competition.

    We are also proud to have one the deepest and richest Indian content libraries in the world. Over the last 10 years Eros has been responsible for 30 of the top 100 highest grossing box office films in India. We must not forget that even in the digital age, premium content is still immensely valuable. Our industry relationships spanning over 40 years allow us access to the best talent across the nation. Our library is constantly evolving and replenished every year with new and innovative content that appeals to all consumers.

    We continue to focus on appropriate budget films promising high IRR’s based on our unique portfolio approach. As we increase production across genres and languages, the stories we tell are driven and backed by pre-sale potential with reduced reliance on box office success. The real star of today is the story being told on screen. We are especially excited about our upcoming theatrical slate this year, in addition to our upcoming slate of Eros Now original releases.  Our content partnership with Reliance, new venture with V. Vijayendra Prasad and continued relationship with Aanand Rai are all instrumental to our future and will be keys to our success.”

    Rishika Lulla, Chief Executive Officer, Eros Digital who received the award for ‘Women leadership in Industry’ at the Times National Awards for Marketing Excellence, commented:

    “The continued strength of our digital entertainment offering was once again a significant driving force behind our solid start to Fiscal 2019. With our diversified and unparalleled library we continue to see growing consumer appetite for compelling content. We are excited to have the largest paying and registered users, beating our own target of 2 million every quarter to be at 10.1 million paying subs this quarter. Our new partnership with InMobi will also allow us to start monetising our 113 million plus registered user base while still being an SVOD model. Living up to our core philosophy of innovative and non-intrusive ad formats, we will also be experimenting with new concepts such as allowing brands to engage seamlessly with branded and high quality digital content.

    We truly believe that Eros Now’s extensive content bouquet will satisfy the insatiable appetite of our audiences and further enhance our commitment to be the source of entertainment with penetration in 100 cities across India. This is a significant expansion and with the best talent on board in our industry for movies and originals, we aim to capture an even larger audience with our upcoming star studded ‘Originals’ slate starting with ‘Side Hero’, the first ever Indian original comedy-drama featuring Kunal Roy Kapoor and directed by Rohan Sippy.

    India is undergoing a digital revolution which is further fuelled by Reliance Giga venture and other telcos bringing consumers a seamless connectivity experience, where  Indian OTT players are now leaving no stone unturned to lure the viewers to sign up. Eros Now with its matchless proposition of 52 weeks of 52 premiers across genre and languages is uniquely positioned to execute a wide distribution strategy with a library of over 11,000 films spread across over nine Indian languages. According to our proprietary data, the longest content format is the most engaging where the best movies on Eros Now gets viewed in less than two sessions and an engaged viewer returns at least three times a week, spending a minimum of 40 Minutes, making it safe to say that Eros Now is the best engagement platform.”

    Prem Parameswaran, Group Chief Financial Officer and President of North America, also commented:

    “I am pleased with our first quarter performance, highlighted by strong margin expansion, continued balance sheet strength and solid subscriber additions out of our Eros Now business. We believe the Company is now firing on all cylinders as our Adjusted EBITDA growth and margin expansion is at 21.5% and 587 bps respectively. This coupled with our conservative balance sheet with net debt leverage ratio of 2.28x has us poised for growth in the coming fiscal year. 

    Having reached over 10.1 million paying subscribers in Eros Now through the end of the First Quarter, we are confident in continuing to grow our subscriber base over the next few years, especially given our premium content offering coupled with the large Indian and global market opportunities.”

  • Contiloe Pictures’ ‘Vighnaharta Ganesha’, india’s first ever motion capture technology show completes one year

    Contiloe Pictures’ ‘Vighnaharta Ganesha’, india’s first ever motion capture technology show completes one year

    MUMBAI: Extensively winning hearts of audiences across the country, bringing alive the incredible story of the deity Ganesha, today marks a special day for Contiloe Pictures’ Vighnaharta Ganesha. Achieving a true milestone, the show, airing on Sony Pictures Entertainment, completes one year of being telecast and marks a landmark completion of 262 episodes today! 

    ‘Vighnaharta Ganesha’ showcases the journey of the deity Ganesha and presents a magical visual extravaganza with impeccable production design, costumes and ingenious audio-visual experience through Motion Capture technology. This technology helps replace the age old depiction of Lord Ganesha with an inert mask and bring alive the detailed life-like movements and facial expressions to the fore giving the viewers a delightful visual treat.

    Commenting on this success, Abhimanyu Singh, the Founder and CEO of Contiloe Pictures said, “We have always used technology to tell stories in a bigger and better manner. Using motion capture technology on a daily basis has been one of the greatest challenge and I am grateful to my team on planning and executing this huge task. Needless to say that the creative team at Contiloe Pictures has taken great pain in researching and telling us some fantastic untold stories about Lord Ganesha. I thank the audience for the love and appreciation they have shown to our show.”

    This magnum opus show Vighnaharta Ganesha is supported by a stellar star-cast that includes Akanksha Puri as Parvati, Malkhan Singh as Shiv, Basant Bhatt as Kartikeya and Anand Garodia as Narada Muni. This show reiterates the producer’s strength in telling some great historical and mythological stories to a new-age audience. Contiloe Pictures uses Motion Capture Technology in each episode, they have been the first production house in the world to use this technology on a daily basis, for 262 episodes straight within a year.

    “Our focus on identifying the future of Indian Television and understanding the need of bringing better technology has worked for us” adds Abhimanyu.

  • Endemol Shine signs first international deal with Australia, Germany for Lego Masters

    Endemol Shine signs first international deal with Australia, Germany for Lego Masters

    MUMBAI: Content creator, producer and distributor Endemol Shine Group has recently announced that the new entertainment format Lego Masters has landed its first international deals with Endemol Shine Australia and Germany. The production house has been commissioned to produce series with this new format Nine in Australia and RTL in Germany.

    It is originally created by Tuesdays Child. The show launched on Channel 4 in the summer 2017, winning an average audience of two million viewers. The launch episode was the number one programme of the day, exceeding the primetime average by 68 per cent. An extended second series will air on Channel 4 later this year.

    “Lego is a globally renowned and much-loved phenomenon that appeals to people of all ages and Lego Masters most definitely has the same pull. It’s a hugely fun and family-friendly format and we expect it to engage Australian and German viewers and other markets in the way in which it has done in the UK,” says Endemol Shine Group CEO of Creative Networks Lisa Perrin as quoted by Rapid TV News.

    The company is also behind new entertainment formats All Together Now that has been sold to six markets. It has produced content for all platforms including global hits Black Mirror, Big Brother, Deal or No Deal, Humans, Hunted, MasterChef, Peaky Blinders, The Island, The Brain, Tin Star and Your Face Sounds Familiar.

    Last year Endemol Shine Group produced more than 800 productions, in 78 territories airing on more than 275 channels around the world.

    Also Read:

    Endemol Shine hires banks for a possible sale 

    Endemol Shine Group inks pan Balkan deal for ‘Big Brother’

  • What next with Fox-Disney-Comcast ?

    What next with Fox-Disney-Comcast ?

    MUMBAI: Part poker, part chess. That’s exactly how the Disney-Comcast bidding war for Rupert Murdoch’s entertainment conglomerate – 21 Century Fox – is being played out. The intense, see-saw battle for the media empire, which includes Hollywood studios, cable networks and streaming businesses, isn’t nearing its end just yet. Nine days out of 10, $70 billion will get you whatever your want in life. But when you’re up against Comcast, the tenth day is the one that matters and even $70 billion might not be enough.

    According to analysts and industry insiders, Comcast is set to return to the negotiating table with a new and improved offer in the  low-to-mid $40s a share range. This could effectively take the bidding to $80 billion, 10 more than Disney’s cash and stock offer.

    Disney’s new bid on Tuesday, was 35 per cent higher than its earlier offer and close to $6 billion more than Comcast’s. But as things stand, they could end up paying more than they’d anticipated.

    Why? Because Comcast isn’t likely to budge given the pressure on its pay-TV business. Hence in its attempt to diversify and attain scale, the Fox bid is an important play for the company’s strategy going forward.

    However, the Disney executives know that the six-month head start they enjoy over Comcast in terms of regulatory review, could end up swinging this deal in their favour. Irrespective of what the winning bid is, a Disney-Fox deal, will get past the regulators far quicker than a Comcast-Fox deal is big boss Bob Iger’s belief. 

    And Murdoch understands this. He also understands how eager Bob Iger and Brian Roberts are to shake his hand in order to land some of the world’s hottest properties – 20th Century Fox film studio, the FX and National Geographic cable channels, almost two dozen regional sports networks, a stake in Sky and Star India.

    A handful of investment analysts are watching with their faces grimacing in pain. They worry that the debt both the mouse house and Comcast will take on in their hunger to swallow up Fox could topple them over. But both Iger and Roberts are not perturbed by the carping. 

    We now await the next instalment of this blockbuster. Disney’s made its move, Comcast is on the verge of making one. Call it the chess board or the poker table, Murdoch owns them both.

  • Disney makes $70.3 billion counterbid for Twenty-First Century Fox

    Disney makes $70.3 billion counterbid for Twenty-First Century Fox

    MUMBAI: 21st Century Fox has announced that it has entered into an amended and restated merger agreement with The Walt Disney Company pursuant to which Disney has agreed to acquire for a price of $38 per 21CF share the same businesses. Disney agreed to acquire under the previously announced merger agreement between 21CF and Disney. 

    This price represents a significant increase over the purchase price of approximately $28 per share included in the Disney Merger Agreement when it was announced in December 2017.  The amended and restated Disney Merger Agreement offers a package of consideration, flexibility and deal certainty enhancements that is superior to the proposal made by the Comcast Corporation on June 13, 2018.

    Under the amended and restated Disney Merger Agreement, Disney would acquire those businesses on substantially the same terms, except that, among other things, Disney’s offer allows 21CF stockholders to elect to receive their consideration, on a value equalized basis, in the form of cash or stock, subject to 50/50 proration. The collar on the stock consideration will ensure that 21st Century Fox shareholders will receive a number of Disney shares equal to $38 in value if the average Disney stock price at closing is between $93.53 and $114.32. 

    “We are extremely proud of the businesses we have built at 21st Century Fox, and firmly believe that this combination with Disney will unlock even more value for shareholders as the new Disney continues to set the pace at a dynamic time for our industry,” said Rupert Murdoch, Executive Chairman of 21st Century Fox. “We remain convinced that the combination of 21CF’s iconic assets, brands and franchises with Disney’s will create one of the greatest, most innovative companies in the world.”

    In light of the revised terms contained in the amended and restated Disney Merger Agreement, 21CF’s board, after consultation with its outside legal counsel and financial advisors, has not concluded that the unsolicited proposal it received on June 13, 2018 from Comcast could reasonably be expected to result in a “Company Superior Proposal” under the Disney Merger Agreement. 

    However, the amended and restated Disney Merger Agreement contains no changes to the provisions relating to the Company’s directors’ ability to evaluate a competing proposal.

    As announced on May 30, 2018, 21CF has established a record date of May 29, 2018 and a meeting date of July 10, 2018, for a special meeting of its stockholders to, among other things, consider and vote on a proposal to adopt the Disney Merger Agreement.  21CF has determined to postpone its special meeting of stockholders to a future date in order to provide stockholders the opportunity to evaluate the terms of Disney’s revised proposal and other developments to date. Once 21CF determines the new date for 21CF’s special meeting of stockholders, the date will be communicated to 21CF stockholders.

  • Disney appoints new creative officers for animation division

    Disney appoints new creative officers for animation division

    MUMBAI: Jennifer Lee and Pete Docter have been named as new chief creative officers (CCOs) for Disney’s animation division. While Docter will handle the Pixar Animation Studios, Lee will head the Walt Disney Animation Studios. 

    The appointments come after John Lasseter stepped down from his role last month as the CCO of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios. He resigned after admitting in 2017 that he had committed unspecified missteps that had left some employees feeling disrespectful and uncomfortable. However, he will continue to have a consulting role with the company until December 31.

    Announcing his resignation, Lasseter issued a statement, saying, “The last six months have provided an opportunity to reflect on my life, career and personal priorities. While I remain dedicated to the art of animation and inspired by the creative talent at Pixar and Disney, I have decided the end of this year is the right time to begin focusing on new creative challenges. I am extremely proud of what two of the most important and prolific animation studios have achieved under my leadership and I’m grateful for all the opportunities to follow my creative passion at Disney.”

    Disney announced on Tuesday that Docter and Lee will have creative oversight of all films and associated projects of their respective studios reporting directly to Walt Disney Studios chairman Alan Horn.

    In announcing their appointments, Horn said, “Jennifer Lee and Pete Docter are two of the most gifted filmmakers and storytellers I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. Pete, the genius creative force behind Up, Inside Out and Monsters, Inc., has been an integral part of Pixar almost since the beginning and is a huge part of its industry-leading success. Jenn, in bringing her bold vision to the boundary-breaking Frozen, has helped infuse Disney Animation with a new and exciting perspective. Each of them embodies the unique spirit, culture and values of these renowned animation studios, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have them to lead us into the future.”

    While Lee and Docter will look into the creative affairs, Pixar Animation Studios president Jim Morris and Walt Disney Animation Studios president Andrew Millstein will continue in their roles. They will be responsible for the business side and report toDisney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmul.

  • Endemol Shine hires banks for a possible sale

    Endemol Shine hires banks for a possible sale

    MUMBAI: Netherlands-based TV production company, Endemol Shine Group, has hired Deutsche Bank and Liontree to explore a potential sale that could be valued between $2- $4 billion including debt.  

    Endemol Shine Group is known for its popular programs like Black Mirror, Big brother and MasterChef. 

    Endemol is co-owned by 21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Management in a 50:50 partnership. Both parties agreed to sell their stake if a suitable buyer is found.

    In a  multi-billion dollar media deal ($52 billion) last year, Fox sold 50 per cent stake in Endemol to Disney. That deal is now being challenged by Comcast. 

    Although Fox is supportive of the business, it does not want to acquire Endemol given its deal with Disney. 

    The cash from this sale is likely to go to Comcast or Disney, depending on who ends up with Fox’s assets, according to a report by CNBC. 

    It was earlier reported that United Kingdom based media company, ITV, wanted to consider buying the Endemol Group, should a formal process for sale begin. Whether the company will buy it or give it a pass will be something worth looking into.

  • With Fox Deal, Comcast and Disney Wish Upon a Star in India

    With Fox Deal, Comcast and Disney Wish Upon a Star in India

    MUMBAI:  As Walt Disney Company and Comcast Corporation gear up for a possible bidding war over a big chunk of 21st Century Fox, both companies are interested in Fox’s Hollywood franchises The Simpsons, Avatar and X-Men.

    But it is learnt that among the most desired asset is Indian media conglomerate Star India, which is fully owned by Fox.

    While neither Comcast or Disney have a big presence in India, each view Star India as an important piece in their plans to challenge Netflix and tap growth in emerging markets. 

    Star India reaches 700 million customers a month in India, with 60 channels in nine different languages and owns rights to broadcast popular cricket tournaments along with a stake in a production company that makes Bollywood movies. Perhaps its biggest selling point now is Hotstar that has around 150 million active monthly users.

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar thinks that with this, Hotstar is setting the agenda for the future.

    Wall Street research firm MoffettNathanson estimated Star will make EBITDA of $826 million by 2020, which will be a 91per cent jump from this fiscal year. Fox, which had $7.17 billion in adjusted operating income on $28.5 billion in revenue in its most recent fiscal year, has said it believes Star will earn $1 billion in EBITDA by 2020.

    Cable giant Comcast said last month that it is in the advanced stages of preparing a rival, all-cash bid.

    The assets for sale include the 20th Century Fox film and television studio, various cable networks and Fox’s stake in the streaming service Hulu. But among the most compelling assets—especially for Comcast—are the international ones, Star India and Fox’s interest in European pay-TV operator.

    Buying Star would come with some risks. Sports rights deals, if they follow the course of the U.S. and Europe, could become much more expensive upon renewal. And there could be new competition from the telecom companies driving India’s wireless data boom, including Jio, as they start offering their users content.

    Edelweiss Capital Ltd. senior vice president of research at Mumbai-based Abneesh Roy said that while user cancellations of cable and satellite TV service are plaguing the U.S. pay-TV industry, “in India, cord-cutting is absolutely a nonissue” and pay-TV is still expanding, he added.

    Over the past 10 years, Shankar has expanded Star’s distribution. It now reaches nine out of 10 Indian homes. Star’s programming includes everything from prime-time soaps to dance competitions and highlights of international sports events. It has worked to add content in languages other than Hindi and English. As the economy grew, people who spoke regional dialects had more purchasing power and more appeal for advertisers. “Not plugging into that change would have been a loss of opportunity,” Shankar said.

    It agreed last year to acquire the global TV and digital rights to India’s wildly popular annual cricket competition, the Indian Premier League, in a deal valued at $2.42 billion at current conversion rates. Star fended off a bid by Facebook Inc. for the digital rights.

    Last month, 160 million people watched the final on Star TV networks and 51 million watched it on Hotstar, up from 121 million on TV and 21.6 million on Hotstar a year before.

    Hotstar is geared to run on mobile devices, targeting the many people who rely on cellphones for entertainment.  “In this country, for many people, their first experience of screen is with a mobile screen,” Shankar said.

    Also Read:

    Sony takes audiences to the crossroads with new show

    ITV Network readies Punjabi music channel

    Enterr10 to launch two Bengali channels

  • Prime Focus Technologies and microsoft forge a pivotal partnership to lead the Media & Entertainment industry to the cloud

    Prime Focus Technologies and microsoft forge a pivotal partnership to lead the Media & Entertainment industry to the cloud

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) has partnered with Microsoft to further strengthen its flagship CLEARTM Hybrid Cloud-enabled Media ERP Suite. CLEAR handles 1.5 M hours of content, and its extensive domain knowledge combined with Microsoft’s powerful Azure Cloud Services will create an intelligent, media-savvy cloud solution. The depth and breadth of this collaboration is designed to create new revenue streams for PFT by enabling it to develop new products and services for the Media & Entertainment (M&E) industry. PFT selected Microsoft Azure as its preferred cloud hosting platform to best implement CLEAR across geographies with extreme reliability, scalability, performance, and global accessibility powered by Microsoft.

    “We are seeing an explosion in the creation and consumption of media across platforms around the world. PFT has been offering global media brands the platform to manage their value chain from development to distribution to archiving. By leveraging Azure, PFT’s is positioned to deliver even more innovative, scalable solutions through Microsoft’s global, secure, reliable cloud infrastructure and advanced AI services”, said Meetul Patel, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India.

    With traditional revenues shrinking and costs increasing on the back of digital endeavours, this partnership will enable content owners to quickly and easily leverage the efficiencies, flexibility, and agility that the cloud provides-made possible by PFT’s flexible approach to virtualising business processes, content supply chain, and vision to build a connected enterprise. Microsoft Azure also enables innovation by the companies around new media workflows, new operational capabilities and, new business opportunities.      

    The foundation of the alliance begins with the immediate migration of all consolidated data storage to Azure for uninterrupted service, before the migration of core CLEARTM Media ERP to Azure coupled with Microsoft’s Cognitive Services. In addition, the companies will work in close cooperation on the overall go-to-market approach, which will help clients migrate to the cloud easily and more cost-effectively.

    “Increasing accessibility and time to market for content creators is a necessity in today’s fierce and rapidly developing M&E industry. Our flagship product, CLEARTM Media ERP on Microsoft Azure will help M&E companies manage the content supply chain efficiently and create more time for the creative process by truly tapping into automation by CLEAR and agility of Azure,” said Ramki Sankaranarayanan, Co-founder and CEO, PFT.       

    Combined with a full spectrum of capabilities and extensive media services available through 42 Azure regions across the globe-more than any other major cloud provider—Azure is exceptionally positioned to meet the needs of media enterprises and creative professionals around the globe. CLEAR allows M&E organizations to manage workflow orchestrations across the entire content supply chain on one system. It lays the foundation for streamlining content operations and helps M&E players enhance efficiencies across core processes like Acquisition, Review and Approval, Cataloguing, QC, Mastering, Distribution, Promos, and Localization. This exclusive capability by PFT will usher in extreme transparency across the content lifecycle, help automate business processes and lower Total Cost of Operations for M&E enterprises.