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Tag: B.A.G Films

  • B.A.G Films Hindi news channel News24 to launch on 13 Dec

    vMUMBAI: B.A.G Films & Media Ltd is all set to launch its Hindi news channel News24 on 13 December. News24 is part of B.A.G Films & Media’s associate company B.A.G Newsline Network (P) Ltd.

    “We have successfully run the test signals. Now we are ready to launch the Hindi news channel News24 on 13 December,” said B.A.G Films and Media managing director Anurradha Prasad.

    Refusing to further divulge the programme details, Prasad said, “With the tag line Nazar Har Khabar Par, the news and current affairs channel will have news bulletin at every half hour.”

    Aaj Tak’s Supriya Prasad is News24 director of news, while Ajit Anjum is the managing editor. The position of executive editor has been filled by Times Now’s Vibhakar and Rahul Mahajan from Aaj Tak. 
    Sayeed Ansari from Star News has been appointed associate executive producer and anchor.

    Santosh Tiwari has been appointed as deputy editor – business and Kartikeya Sharma as chief political correspondent and anchor. Tiwari and Sharma are both from Aaj Tak.

    B.A.G Films & Media has three more channels in the pipeline. The channels include a wellness channel Bliss24, entertainment channel E24 and a glamour and lifestyle channel Life24.

  • B.A.G Films & Media firms up editorial team for upcoming news channel

    MUMBAI: B.A.G Films & Media Ltd has beefed up its editorial team for its upcoming news channel with a slew of new appointments.

    The position of executive editor has been filled by Vibhakar and Rahul Mahajan. Vibhakar comes from Times Now where he was working as national affairs editor. His association with TV journalism has been for the last 10 years in various organisation like Aaj Tak and Zee News.

    Former Star News chief of bureau Mahajan was leading the national and city bureau. He has also been with Zee News and Aaj Tak.

    Sayeed Ansari has been appointed associate executive producer and anchor. Santosh Tiwari has been appointed as deputy editor – business and Kartikeya Sharma as chief political correspondent and anchor.

    Ansari quit Star News to join Bag Films and Tiwari comes on board from Aaj Tak where he was handling the business bureau. Sharma also comes in from from Aaj Tak where he was covering the PMO, Congress, cabinet and parliamentary affairs in addition to elections and other political events.

  • ‘Line between credibility and sensationalism is becoming thinner ‘ : Anurradha Prasad – B.A.G Films and Media Limited MD

    ‘Line between credibility and sensationalism is becoming thinner ‘ : Anurradha Prasad – B.A.G Films and Media Limited MD

    B.A.G Films & Media Ltd. managing director Anurradha Prasad has her plate full. Having created a long list of popular TV shows, she now has her eyes fixed on FM radio, TV channels, animation and feature films.

    The company has spun separate subsidiary outfits for each of these activities. The news channels will be housed under B.A.G Newsline Network while the non news broadcasting venture will be under B.A.G Glamour.

    FM Radio is under B.A.G Infotainment and is operating under the Radio Dhamaal brand while animation will be via a joint venture with Sieindesign Co.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Sibabrata Das, Prasad talks of the changing face of news television with the growth of tabloidisation, the excitement of FM radio and her plans to create a vertically integrated media empire.

    Excerpts:

    Are TV content companies in India under compulsion to foray into broadcasting space as an effort to scale up their business?
    We can go on doing a service job and generate ratings for the broadcasters. But the fundamental problem is that we have no ownership of those shows. So how do we do a forward and backward integration? We were already doing a 360 degree of content; now we have decided to do a 360 degree of media. If we don’t do it now, then when will we? We have taken the organisation into a position of strength. Now is the time to take the leap.

    Is the decision to have control over your destiny a fallout of B.A.G Films losing flagship shows like Sansani as Star News decided to do it themselves?
    It had nothing to do with Star retrenching our shows. It was actually a two-way process and the pullout happened in May-June. We were actually contemplating on our future course of action nine months back and last December we took a call. Having done content, we had learnt a whole gamut of things and we decided to move from B2B to B2C. The things started unfolding when we bid for FM radio stations and created a new company structure. We did our first placement in January.

    Were you looking at a model like Balaji Telefilms where a broadcaster picks up stake in the company and you venture into TV channels space enjoying an assured content supply?
    That is a good business model as it provides a huge element of security. But we wanted to be on our own. Surely, we run a higher risk. But India today is all about challenges. If we don’t take that up right now, we will have slipped an opportunity.

    You mean to say that this is the right timing?
    Media is attracting huge interest and is going to rule the entire consumer process. The whole distribution rejig is also happening. Cas (conditional access system) is being made mandatory, direct-to-home (DTH) platforms are up. Other media vehicles like mobile TV and internet are emerging . The cost paid for distribution is going to drop.

    We have created tried and proven content. We have already set up an infrastructure and have the resource network in place. What we have to do now, and correctly, is marketing, positioning and distribution. For us, it is a very calculative challenge.

    In the broadcasting space, why did you decide to get into the news and lifestyle genre?
    For the last two years, there has been growth in these genres. And they have been eating into the audience share of the general entertainment channels (GECs).

    Are Hindi news channels growing at the cost of the GECs because of crime shows and tabloidisation of news?
    The drama in the news channels is an important driver for getting eyeballs because GECs are totally focused on women. As the GECs provided no alternative for male and young viewers, they went to news channels.

    Won’t it be tough as you are entering at a time when the news market is getting fragmented among 4-5 players?
    The competition is huge and in the process people are going to any level to grab eyeballs. They are expanding the viewership through non fiction entertainment and are getting only TRP-driven. But in the process, they have never marketed their product or channel; they have sold cheap. The truth is that you can have a large number of eyeballs, but you may not necessarily enjoy fat revenues. People who watch news channels are not necessarily what the advertisers want. The perception you have created is very important. Which is why NDTV may have less viewership than some of the competitors but enjoys more revenues than them.

    Isn’t tabloidisation the winning bet for grabbing audiences in the Hindi news space?
    The non fiction entertainment in Hindi news channels has created a new kind of TV. But there are no isms being followed and the editorial staff is getting edgy in this battle for TRPs. We started tabloidisation in India with the properties (Sansani, etc) that we created for Star News. But even in that space, nobody could question our credibility. That is getting lost, especially in the last two years. And some of the good properties which are getting created outside this, are not being marketed or sold properly.

    How could you establish credibility in this genre which thrives on sensationalism?
    When we did Sansani, it was the most credible crime show. We did research and stood by our stories. We provided all the drama but also reflected the interest of the people; several tantriks who were duping people were exposed. More than programming, it was the helpline that added to the credibility. When others took the crime genre, they never did justice to it.

    As a serious organisation which is in the business of news, you can’t be doing certain things which are not credible. That line between credibility and sensationalism is very thin. And it is becoming thinner because of the growth of this genre.

    Do you see this trend growing?
    The cost of making some of this kind of programming, particularly relating to ghosts, is cheap – and there is an audience for this. But I don’t see this going on and on. It is also a happy India that we are in now.
    ‘We plan to make a combined investment of Rs 4 billion in our broadcasting business‘

    Will we see opinionated news in your network?
    We will carry the opinion of the people. We should have the guts to say whatever we want to say. Otherwise, why should we be in the news business?

    How much will you be investing in your Hindi news channel?
    We plan to make a combined investment of Rs 4 billion in our broadcasting business. We are launching four channels – two in the news space, one lifestyle and `Bliss’ which will be all about mind, body and soul. For the news venture, we are pumping in Rs 2.5 billion. While the first will be a general Hindi news channel, we are still strategising on the second one. We expect to launch the Hindi news and lifestyle channels in October-November. We are using the Insat satellite and have applied for a teleport licence.
    Are you diluting 25 per cent stake each in the two broadcast companies, B.A.G Newsline Network and B.A.G Glamour, to raise Rs 2 billion?
    I can’t comment on it.

    Are India Bulls promoter Sameer Gehlaut and Kolkata-based High Growth Distributors individually picking up 12.5 per cent in each of the two companies? Have you raised Rs 1 billion each from them?
    We are a listed company. We can’t comment at this stage.

    How different will the lifestyle channel be?
    We are trying to create a new space. It will be a celebrity-driven, aspirational channel.

    For the FM radio business, would you require to raise fresh capital in B.A.G Infotainment?
    Our fund requirement is Rs 480 million. We have offloaded 10 per cent in the subsidiary company to IDBI Bank. B.A.G Films is investing through internal accruals and we have also tied up debt. We are adequately capitalised.

    Are you in talks with foreign investors?
    We will launch our brand and grow the business. We will create value before we decide to go in for a further dilution.

    When will all the 10 stations get launched?
    We have already launched Hissar and Karnal. Patiala is coming up next, followed by Muzaffarpur, Ranchi and then Jalgaon. We should have launched all our stations by August-September.

    What is the strategy behind bidding for the stations in the northern region and the sugar belt of Maharashtra?
    We believe that the towns we have selected will push for the radio revolution that has come so late in India. And the cities we have selected in the northern region falls within one extended stretch of tourist belt. Ranchi is an upcoming capital while Jabalpur is fully Hindi. In Maharashtra, the sugar belt has money.

    Will your stations have a common distinct personality?
    The tagline is `Hila ke rak de.’ This is because the belt we have selected, particularly in the north, is high on energy. We have trained our RJs accordingly. We will be a mass-based station as we have to first get the radio culture in those places.

    What are the plans for the animation business?
    We have entered into a joint venture with Sieindesign Co, a firm which has a presence in the production, distribution and licensing of animation movies and TV series. We will see this segment growing.

    How do you see growth in the parent company which will house the TV and film production business?
    We will continue to do fiction programming for general entertainment channels as we see no friction there with our new lines of broadcasting business. The scope, in fact, will broaden as a slew of new channels are in the process of being launched.

    We have also launched an international show Yeh Vaada Raha for Ary Digital, Dubai available in Pakistan, UAE, USA and UK. This is our first step towards going international. We are also foraying into Bengali feature Films with Ami,Yaseen aur amaar Madhubala. Directed by Budhadeb Dasgupta, it is set for release in October. All these efforts should give us topline and bottomline growth.

  • B.A.G Films to launch two news channels

    MUMBAI: B.A.G Films & Media Ltd plans to invest Rs 2.70 billion for the four channels it proposes to launch as part of its strategy to diversify into broadcasting business from just being a pure content company.

    B.A.G Films will launch two news channels, says managing director Anurradha Prasad. For the Hindi news channel, it has roped in Aaj Tak director news Supriya Prasad.
    “We plan to invest Rs 2.70 billion for the four channels. We expect to launch the Hindi news channel by November. Supriya Prasad is joining us as director – Hindi news,” says Anurradha Prasad.

    The lifestyle channel could be launched during the same time while “Bliss” will be all about mind, body and soul which will roll out later.

    The two segments are being housed under two associate companies, B.A.G Newsline Network (P) Ltd and B.A.G Glamour (P) Ltd. While the news channels will be under B.A.G Newsline Network, the non news venture will be in B.A.G Glamour.

    B.A.G Films has already applied for uplinking facility with the information and broadcasting ministry to launch channels in news and non news category.

    The company will have its own distribution team. “We are in the process of hiring the distribution head,” says Anurradha Prasad.

  • IDBI, Bank of Baroda pick up 20 per cent in B.A.G Infotainment

    IDBI, Bank of Baroda pick up 20 per cent in B.A.G Infotainment

    MUMBAI: The appetite of Indian banks for investing in private FM radio business has begun. IDBI Bank and Bank of Baroda have picked up 10 per cent each in B.A.G Infotainment, the subsidiary company under which B.A.G Films operates its radio business.

    “We have offloaded 20 per cent in our radio company to the two banks for Rs 40 million. We are issuing the shares to them on par value,” B.A.G Films managing director Anuradha Prasad tells Indiantelevision.com.
    B.A.G Infotainment will also be diluting an additional 20 per cent to a foreign private equity investor at a higher valuation. The promoters of B.A.G will keep the remaining 60 per cent with them.

    “We are in advanced negotiations with private equity investors for parting with 20 per cent equity at a higher premium. We hope to finalise the deal soon,” says Prasad.

    The government regulation makes it mandatory for the promoter of private FM radio stations to have at least 51 per cent holding in the company. “We could have diluted a further nine per cent but have decided to keep it with us,” says Prasad.

    B.A.G has earmarked an investment of Rs 480 million for its radio business. The company has already pumped in Rs 140 million including Rs 50 million towards licence fee for the 10 radio stations it plans to operate in.

    The company will kick off its first radio station in March, says Prasad. The stations it has successfully bid for include Patiala, Hissar, Karnal, Simla, Ahmadnagur, Jalgaon, Dhule, Ranchi, Jabalpur and Muzaffarpur.

    “We have already lined up 1000 hours of programming. We have ordered for the equipment and are on track to launch the stations as per schedule,” says B.A.G Infotainment chief operating officer Rajiv Mishra.

  • Shemaroo launches music album for B.A.G. Films’ ‘Mannat’

    Shemaroo launches music album for B.A.G. Films’ ‘Mannat’

    MUMBAI: Shemaroo Audio has launched audio cassettes and CDs of the Punjabi movie Mannat.

    Shemaroo also owns the international audio and video rights for this movie.

    A B.A.G. Films production Mannat stars Jimmy Shergill. Kulraj Randhawa (of Kareena Kareena fame) will make her movie debut with this film. The film is directed by Gurbir S Grewal.The film showcases the classic love story between the two talented actors. The other star cast includes Kanwaljit Singh and Deep Dhillon.

    Shemaroo has also tied up with telecom operators like Reliance Mobile, Airtel and Hutch for providing mobile content of the movie like ring tones, wall papers, videos, etc to their subscribers.

    Shemaroo VP Hiren Gada said, “Even as the music of the recent release Main Tu Assi Tussi (also on Shemaroo) is climbing the popularity charts, Shemaroo is proud to present its second musical extravaganza with Mannat. We have always believed in quality content and the popularity of Mannat’s music will only re-emphasise this. We are looking forward to many such ventures.”

    The audio track lists six melodies. It has names like Jaidev, Safqat Ali Khan, Alka Yagnik, Babu Singh Mann and Arvinder Singh coming together.

    Babu Singh Mann pens the lyrics for Paani Diya Chchalla Hove, Tu Hove Main Hova a romantic number sung by Feroz Khan and Rani Randeep. Another romantic track that you just cannot miss is the Umrandi Saanj Hove Yaar Tere Naal by one of the best-known singers of India Alka Yagnik. Feroz Khan sings the male playback for this song. People of all ages will identify with this song, making this to be one of the most popular songs in recent times.

    Shafqat Ali Khan, also known as Chaurasi of the Sham Chaurasi Gharana has added the Sufi touch with a mix of modern and Punjabi folk to two songs, giving a whole new dimension to the variety of songs. Already acclaimed as a classical singer, Shafqat has applied his amazing vocal skills to popular music and has even sung a number in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna.

    In Mannat he presents a sad number, Darda Maar Liya, Mera Dil Darda Na Hove written by Ambar Hoshiarpuri. The song merges with the mood in the film and will make your heart go all out for the characters. The second song by Ali – Kare Door Door, Pave Vo Zamana comes with a flavour of love and romance.

    The yearning for love continues to flow with Rabba Yaar Nu Mila De, Dil Dar Nu Mila De, sung by Arvinder Singh.

  • B.A.G Films Q1 net drops to Rs 5.6 million

    B.A.G Films Q1 net drops to Rs 5.6 million

    MUMBAI: B.A.G Films Ltd’s net profit has dropped to Rs 5.6 million for the quarter ended 30 June 2006, as against Rs 8.8 million in the corresponding period last fiscal.

    Total income has slipped to Rs 87.7 million as compared to Rs 135 million during this period.

    Profit before tax is at Rs 8.8 million as against Rs 12.2 million in the corresponding period of the previous year.

    In an official statement issued today, B.A.G. stated that Star India contributed Rs 33 million while Media Content & Communications (India) Private Limited added Rs 36 million to the reveune kitty of B.A.G Films Ltd.

    B.A.G Films Ltd MD Anurradha Prasad said, “During the quarter, we are have strengthened our animation business by entering into a JV with Sieundesign Co. Ltd. In the current year, we also propose to release two feature films for which the production is almost complete. We have also commenced the setting up of infrastructure for our FM radio stations.”

  • Eyeing B.A.G-ful of opportunities in media

    In the 1990s when a rookie TV producer called Anurradha Prasad started B.A.G. Films — (some old hands in the company say the strange acronym stands for Bhagwan, Allah, God) — skeptics sneered that it was another flight of fancy of a young girl from a well connected political family of Bihar, a state that can easily be dubbed the Wild East of the Indian political theatre.

    But over a decade later, critics have been more or less silenced. B.A.G. Films is today a listed company and showing decent financial results to investors, if not exactly setting the Arabian Sea on fire. It has a media training institute up and running, is doing several shows on TV channels, including Doordarshan’s terrestrial network, and has two feature films ready for release. Add to all that are its recent forays into FM radio.

     

    B.A.G. Films Ltd MD Anurradha Prasad

    “After the initial public offer in 2003, we were in a phase of consolidation as we realised we needed to move into a different league where more established players were operating. That’s the reason why we didn’t get into new businesses,” B.A.G. Films LTD MD Anurradha Prasad told Indiantelevision.com, sitting in her plush office in the company’s swanky corporate headquarters in Noida’s Film City on the outskirts of Delhi.

     

    There are also talks about B.A.G. turning into a broadcaster with the launch of at least one TV news channel (crime to be specific), if not two. But Prasad hushes away queries on this subject saying such reports are “purely speculative at the moment.” Rather, she counter-punches by asking, “Do people realize that starting a TV channel is not child’s play? And news channels are costly affairs.”

     

    Such assertions notwithstanding, rumours are still doing the rounds that B.A.G. is quietly preparing to launch a TV channel relating to crime news and shows as it has gained some expertise in this field by producing crime shows for Star News.

     

    ‘Red Alert‘ on Star News strengthened the channel‘s crime slot

    Incidentally, two such shows, Sansani and Red Alert, might not still be figuring in the Top 50 list, but do get ratings, which Prasad points out, are “heartening and encouraging.”

     

    After the consolidation, comes the expansion. According to B.A.G. Films vice-president (systems and planning) Amit Jain, middle of 2005 the company decided to make forays into FM radio segment, animation and creating content for mobile phones and other hand-held devises.

     

    Value-added services like content syndication and tailoring content for various delivery platforms for different technologies is going to become a big business, Jain explains.

     

    “At the moment, almost 90 per cent of the revenue is coming from TV programmes. But over the medium to long term, we expect each of the new segments to contribute significantly to the overall kitty,” Jain avers, pinning his hopes on the business activities taken up by B.A.G. in recent months.

     

    However, equity fund managers are still skeptical of the media company, promoted by Prasad and her Member of Parliament husband Rajiv Shukla.

     

    Said an equity analyst who tracks several media company stocks, “In terms of business, B.A.G. is doing well, but the programming strategy is flawed, which leaves the company with little scope to scale up operations. In media, the whole game hinges on the scalability factor.”

     

    ‘Siddhanth‘ on Star One gave Indiantelevision a star in Pavan Malhotra

    Another capital market analyst adds that B.A.G. Films might be doing almost 20 hours of programming per week for various TV channels, but it needs shows to break into the Top 20 and Top 50 list of programmes.

     

    “As a fund manager, I’d say B.A.G. needs to build up a sizeable market capitalization and show better earnings per share, which would come only when the company’s growth is good,” the analyst adds.

     

    For the year ending 31 March 2006, B.A.G.’s net income from sales / operations were up 16.4 per cent to Rs 423.7 million from Rs 364.1 million the previous year. Net profit after tax stood at Rs 30.5 million compared to Rs 33.8 million in the year ago period. The company said that lower net profit after tax was mainly due to significantly higher depreciation charge due to capitalization of new building at Noida. The earnings per share (EPS) was Rs 0.51 for FY’06.

     

    Woh Hue Na Hamare on DD

    Apart from launching two movies, the company’s average programming hours per month during the quarter ended 31 March 2006 were 46 for Q4 as compared to 73 in the corresponding quarter last year. Over 95 per cent of the company’s programmes continue to be commissioned. A new launch during Q4 ended March 2006 was Woh Hue Na Hamare, a half hour twice-a-week soap on DD1.

     

    Though B.A.G.’s Jain might not entirely concur with market and equity analysts, he does admit that the company is looking for both top line and bottomline growth. “Our balance sheet is very important and more important is the fact that it should reflect growth as we have to live up to our investors’ expectations.”

     

    B.A.G. Films Ltd was incorporated in 1993. The company has six separate business units (SBUs) which are TV software, ISOMES- International School of Media and Entertainment Studies, film production, animation, FM Radio and new media & convergence

     

     

    Here is a brief lowdown on each of the segments that B.A.G. operates in.

     

    TV PROGRAMMING

     

     

     

    The biggest revenue earner for the company presently, content generation naturally gets prime attention from the B.A.G management.

     

    ‘Poll Koll‘ strengthened the political satire genre on TV

    Out of the 90 per cent revenue being raked in by B.A.G.-produced shows, a bulk of it comes from the Star Group, followed by Doordarshan (DD) and regional language channel Tara, which is promoted by former director-general of DD and ex-CEO of Star India, Rathikant Basu.

     

    On Star News alone, B.A.G. has a number of shows like Sansani, Red Alert, Poll Khol and a programme on super-natural elements, Kaun Hai. On top of this, the company also does part news gathering for Star News as part of business process outsourcing (BPO).

     

    “Between 10-20 per cent of the revenue coming from Star News is through the news gathering BPO,” Prasad admits. Work from Star News contributed Rs 136 million or 32 per cent of the company’s overall revenue in FY06.

     

    The company has already produced more than 5,000 hours of on-air software and has a rich footage library of more than 50,000 hours. Star Group (Star News, Star Plus, Star One), Sony Entertainment Television, Sahara Network, DD News are some of the channels that B.A.G. is associated with.

     

    The darker side of life: Haqeeqat on Sahara One

    B.A.G. has been associated with popular programmes like Poll Khol, a political satire on Star News, Kumkum- Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan soap on Star Plus, news magazines Rozana and Khabrein Bollywood Ki on DD News and multi-award winning Haqeekat on Sahara One.

     

    “We are presently in talks with Sony Entertainment TV India for some shows, “Prasad said, adding that the company is also looking at exploiting other Indian language channels by producing or dubbing programmes in Tamil, Telugu and Bengali.

     

    According to her, the revenues are not high in regional language television, but they are avenues of expansion and future growth.

     

    MEDIA TRAINING

     

    After settling down in the media education space, ISOMES now targets an expansion

     

    ISOMES or the International School of Media and Entertainment Studies has collaborated with the Missouri School of Journalism, USA, the oldest journalism school of the world.

     

    ISOMES offers post-graduate diploma in broadcast journalism, TV production and direction and media management. The school also has six months diploma courses in acting and television direction & production, besides short-term courses like radio jockey, air time sales and TV editing.

     

    According to Prasad, the media training institute is now ready for expansion.

     

    FILM PRODUCTION

    B.A.G. is producing two films in 2006. One of the films Zindaggi Rocks stars Sushmita Sen and Shiney Ahuja. The film is scripted and directed by Tanuja Chandra and Anu Malik has composed the music.

     

    Sushmita Sen rocks in ‘Zindaggi Rocks‘

    The second film in Punjabi language called Mannat starring youngsters like Jimmy Sheirgill and TV star-turned –film actress Kulraj Randhawa. The film is directed by Gurbir S Grewal.

     

    Made on modest budgets, the B.A.G.-produced films can be called small budget films if compared to the latest box-office hit Krrish (Rs 600 million) or some earlier films in recent times in Bollywood.

     

    “We need to be watchful on the financial side as we are a stand alone company making forays into film making unlike established players who have corporatised a lot in recent times,” Jain says.

     

    While Zindaggi Rocks cost Rs 60 million, Mannat’s budget was Rs. 17.5 million. But an aggressive marketing strategy like selling various rights judiciously makes B.A.G. hopeful that part of the cost involved in film making could be recovered before the release of the movies.

     

    According to Prasad, “Almost 90 per cent of investment is recovered through selling rights and small budgets films can do this successfully.”

     

     

    The company has plans to release five films by 2007.

     

     

     

    ANIMATION

     

    B.A.G. Films has entered into a joint venture with Sieundesign Co Ltd, a leading Korean firm that has presence in production, distribution and licensing of animation films and TV series.

     

    This initiative of B.A.G. is to tap the growing animation segment and also strengthen presence in the mobile telephony content business. The JV is proposed to be named Sieun & B.A.G. Animation Pvt. Ltd.

     

    At present, talks are on with some American companies for creating content.

     

     

    FM RADIO

     

    Entering the FM Radio business for B.A.G. Films was a natural stride towards forward integration, Prasad says.

     

    With the government proposing to limit such cross holdings in different segments of broadcasting business via a legislation that is being hotly debated these days, such integration process may have to be reviewed by the company at a later stage.

     

    The company has bagged the FM Radio licences for Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and certain parts of Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. For this purpose B.A.G. Infotainment Pvt. Ltd has been formed.

     

    While the top management at B.A.G. is very bullish on the radio FM business, market analysts say as radio is a long gestation business activity, a lot of this enthusiasm might evaporate once operations start and a clearer picture emerges on revenues.

     

    “The company has a long way to go in radio business, though an announced move to form a consortium with other smaller radio operators for airtime sales is a good move,” a fund manager with a Mumbai-based company says.

     

    NEW MEDIA

    The world of media, entertainment, telecom, infotech and broadcasting is undergoing a change towards convergence. The benefits of technological advancement, convergence, digital broadcasting, high definition programming, streaming and compression and the challenges of an increasingly competitive market place, demand synergy and optimum utilization of resources to develop multi-purpose software for all media windows, B.A.G claims.

     

    With an eye on tomorrow, new media initiative includes video streaming, animation and gaming, interactive content for broadband and mobi-sodes specially developed for mobile phones and handheld devices.

     

    The company already provides voice content including news, cricket and sports, jokes, astro forecasts, celebrity interviews, Bollywood reviews and music album reviews in four languages, Hindi, English, Tamil and Malayalam.

     

    “Value added services are becoming popular in India and content would be the greatest pusher for such initiatives,” explains Prasad on why the company is flirting with activities for which there are specialized outfits already operating.

     

    “Presently, the revenue is not big as telecom companies take away the maximum share (80 pr cent), but over a period of time we see the content provider’s share too increasing significantly,” Jain adds.

     

     

    CONVERGENCE

     

    A group of professionals are working closely to explore opportunities, which are coming through 3G.

     

     

    (Rs 47 = 1US$)

  • B.A.G Films’ Rajiv Mishra Asia-Pac secy-gen of AIR-IAB

    B.A.G Films’ Rajiv Mishra Asia-Pac secy-gen of AIR-IAB

    NEW DELHI: The board of directors of AIR-IAB has nominated BAG Films radio division head Rajiv Mishra as secretary general of the global organisation’s Asia Pacific region, in a meeting held at Montevideo, Uruguay.

    The International Association of Broadcasting (IAB) and Asociacion Internacional de Radiodifusion (AIR), is the non governmental organization of commercial radio and television networks of the world. It is also a consultant to the United Nation.

    Mishra will present a paper on commercial broadcasting industry scenario in Asia Pacific region to AIR-IAB board of directors in a meeting slated to be held in Guatemala in October.

    He will also work closely with AIR-IAB director-general Héctor Oscar Amengual for the expansion of AIR-IAB to the Asia Pacific region, especially with important private commercial broadcasting countries such as Japan, Korea, Australia, and the Philippines.

    Mishra is the convener of Association of Radio Operators of India (AROI) and COO of BAG Infotainment, presently engaged in establishing 10 FM Radio stations across India

  • B.A.G Films ties-up with Korean production firm Sieundesign

    B.A.G Films ties-up with Korean production firm Sieundesign

    MUMBAI: Anurradha Prasad’s B.A.G Films is pursuing opportunities in new media avenues and also eyeing the animation frontier. The company has entered into a joint venture with a Korean firm Sieundesign, which has a presence in the production, distribution and licensing of animated movies and TV series.

    The JV is proposed to be named “Sieun & B.A.G. Animation Pvt. Ltd.” with both companies holding an equal stake. The business model will involve both creation of IP for global audiences as well as servicing outsourced projects.

    Speaking about the development, Prasad shared,“This initiative represents B.A.G. Films’ entry into the exciting and strongly growing animation business. We are delighted to tie up with Sieundesign Co Ltd, which is a leading international animation player and look forward leveraging its experience to building a strong presence in India.”
    B.A.G, is already running a media school –iSOMES (International School of Media and Entertainment Studies) and through the new JV, the company will be extending into animation education too.

    “We understand that we require a huge work force and so we will be training people as a backward integration excercise. The animation course starts in October,” remarked Prasad.

    “As a content company B.A.G films has always stayed at the forefront of cutting edge technology and even in the animation JV, the idea is to create a synergy, a best of both the worlds where we will utilise India’s expertise in animation production and combine it with the Korean strength of concieving characters and content,” concluded Prasad.

    Sieundesign presently owns more than 30 IPs of cartoon character content, which include Black Jelly, Booby, Yamm, Newton, Flower Terry, Tomato, 205 Friends, Little Tinny, Mr. Cool, Dear Alice, Dennis Family, Eyeme Angel, Emily, Pumpkin Seed, Oh-Baby, Brambly and Moose Bear besides the children performance Rise Up Monster character development. It also supplies cartoon content to several Korean mobile and on line services.

    All animation and character licenses owned by Sieundesign internationally will be owned in India by the joint venture entity.

    At the same time, B.A.G. Films is also looking at initiatives including video streaming, DVD, animation and gaming, interactive content for broadband, mobisodes, wireless transmission and the internet, besides identifying new uses for existing technologies such as digital libraries, interactive story telling and distance learning, according to a posting today on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

    The company is also contemplating providing voice content including news, cricket & sports, jokes, astro forecasts, celebrity interviews, Bollywood reviews and music album reviews in four languages namely Hindi, English, Tamil and Malayalam.

    B.A.G is already working the major cellular operators Airtel and Hutch on IVR.

    On the movie front, the production house proposes to release two films during the current calendar year. Zindagi Rocks, with Sushmita Sen and Shiney Ahuja as the lead actors is directed by Tanuja Chandra with music composed by Anu Malik. Then there is a Punjabi love story directed by Gurbir S Grewal with Jimmy Shergil and Kulraj Randhawa as the lead actors.