Pickle October 2014 Edition

I N D I A N E N T E R TA I N M E N T B I Z G U I D E

O C T O BER 2014

MIPCOM 2014 CANNES

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10,000 FILMS HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED AT AFM 速

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ACTOR. PRODUCER. AFM ATTENDEE. PRODUCER. DISTRIBUTOR. AFM BUYER.

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AMERICAN FILM MARKET & CONFERENCES

Nov. 5-12, 2014 | Santa Monica AFM PARTNER EVENTS

AFI FEST presented by Audi, November 6-13 | The World Animation & VFX Summit, November 2-5 US-China Film Summit, November 5 | The Britannia Awards, October 30 Details at www.AmericanFilmMarket.com/partner-events

Everyone is here. Register today at www.AmericanFilmMarket.com

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Your Gateway To Indian Entertainment Biz IN D IA AT N AB SH OW, L AS VE GAS, AP R IL 2014

INDIAN ENTERTAINMENT BIZ GUIDE

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May 2014

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POWER LIST

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PRIME FOCUS TECHNOLOGIES & DAX AT NAB Our vision is to build the best enterprise platform for virtualizing the content production supply chain and with DAX acquisition we are taking a giant step in that direction Ramki Sankaranarayanan Founder and CEO, Prime Focus Technologies

Most Influential In Indian Showbiz

SOUTH LOWER HALL BOOTH # 9605

WHAT’S REALLY DRIVING

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FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

W

e are delighted to present the latest issue of Pickle on the special occasion of the 30th anniversary of MIPCOM. Undoubtedly, MIPCOM has played a significant role in shaping the global television and digital media growth. It is one of the finest market places which brings not only the brightest of the global creative and business minds to share knowledge but offers a platform to buy and sell.

Over the years’ Reed MIDEM’s MIPCOM along with MIPTV has been able to provide a glimpse of what is to happen in the media space before it actually becomes a trendsetter. No one goes back from MIPCOM without a deal or a value add to their existing business modules.

This is the eighth India focused edition of Pickle at MIPCOM and Indian companies who are regular here -Eros International, ZEEL, DQE, Toonz, Shemaroo Entertainment, Sony TV, IndiaCast -- have immensely benefited from exporting content and services from MIPCOM. The Indian media ecosystem is changing fast. There are few markets in the world where you could see both traditional and new media flourishing. There are 800 TV channels, 500,000 hours of TV content output, 250 million Internet users (set to cross 500 million in next 18 to 24 months), 900 million mobile

phones (of which 100 million top-end smart phone users), 80,000 newspapers published daily, 1,200 feature films.

And, Hollywood studios are making movies for domestic consumption. And, Indian start-up ecosystem is beginning to mature specially in the digital media and ecommerce space.

Indian government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the new ‘Make in India’ initiative to promote India as a global manufacturing and services hub nationally and abroad to boost the country’s economic prospect. Media & Entertainment is one of the sectors in the `Make in India’ campaign. We request every MIPCOM delegate to engage and look at doing at least one project out of India. Be it service or creative output, only you have to imagine what you want, and you can get that done in India.

We have presented takeaways from the just concluded Big Picture Summit 2014 organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Convergence in media has become a reality. The rollout of 4G/ LTE later this year in India is set to transform the media and entertainment space. Welcome to New India.

Our next issue will focus on American Film Market and International Film Festival of India. Feel free to email your thoughts and suggestions.

n vidyasagar pickle media nvidyasagar@picklemag.in, www.picklemag.com Pickle Volume VIII 3rd edition Published by Pickle Media Private Limited Email: natvid@gmail.com ● Mumbai ● Chennai No.2, Habib Complex Dr Durgabhai Deshmukh Road RA Puram CHENNAI 600 028

Printed by Bon Graphics New #7, Arumugam Nagar, Dayalan Garden, Chinna Porur, Chennai – 600 116 Mobile: +91 9884816263 Email: bon_graphics@yahoo.co.in

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Pickle Handbook 2014 Copyright 2014 by Pickle Media Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Pickle is an ad supported business guide tracking the filmed entertainment business in India. This is a curtain raiser issue for CII Big Picture Summit 2013.

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Layout Design: M Agnes Julie Consulting Photo Editor: K K Laskar

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MAKE IN

INDIA

SHOW THE WORLD 6

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call ‘Make in India’ is aimed at positioning the country a global superpower in various aspects. The media & entertainment sector has a lot to cash in on it 7

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VOICES FROM M&E INDUSTRY CAPTAINS

Let’s utilize talent

Punit Goenka

It is a matter of immense pride as an Indian first, and then as a CEO of ZEE, to accept and work towards the “Make In India” initiative proposed by our Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. From our economy’s perspective, such an initiative is certainly a boon. Our nation has immense talent and potential, which can be well utilized to make this initiative a success. As far as the media and entertainment sector is concerned, I am most certain that it would contribute its share to this initiative substantially.

At ZEE, our vision for the next 6-7 years, is to be ranked amongst the top global media conglomerates. Being a content company, we are not just restricted to the Indian geographies, but infact reach out to over 730 million viewers worldwide. So we certainly have the potential in making a globally relevant content in India, to ensure that the same entertains billions of viewers across the globe.

After all at ZEE, we espouse “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” as our corporate brand positioning, making it furthermore essential for us to make content in India for the entire world, which consider as One Family.

Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)

Rich culture, strong heritage A converged India will thrive in a connected world. We have to embrace to this reality. India is a young creative nation. We are rich in culture and have a strong heritage. We could be the international hub for global content. Let’s create in India for the world.

Make in India, Show the World.

Sudhanshu Vats

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Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd and Chairman, CII National M&E Committee

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Making digital dream a reality

Rajjat A. Barjatya

‘Made in India - Made for the world’ is our vision at Rajshri Entertainment. On digital platforms, a global audience is a click away and the world is our playground. The challenge is to produce films, music and special interest content like yoga, food recipes and kids programming in English and major international languages that export and showcase India’s rich wisdom, heritage and culture to the world.

Rajjat A. Barjatya, Managing Director & CEO, Rajshri Entertainment

Mindset change needed

Biren Ghose

“Make in India” – brings to mind connotations of ‘flag-saluting’ platitudes about trade sanctions or quotas or worse about leveraging cheap labour! In the media and entertainment industry however, India has the unique opportunity to mount a global initiative, given it’s vast reservoir of stories and storytelling experience and expertise.

What it needs is a mindset change of not looking just at Indians as its audience but to fashion these offerings more universally.

Content creation in the digital format will allow the Indian creative community to access the world through new media platforms - “Made In India for the World Biren Ghose, Country Head - Technicolor and President ABAI

Possibilities are immense

Sanjay Gupta

The “Make in India” call by the Prime Minister of India was an inspiring call for India to be associated with designing, shaping and building great products. In many ways, it also signaled a sea change in sentiment about the country, a huge movement away from the pessimism of the last few years. Here is an India waking up to the anticipation of an exciting and better future on every front: jobs, connectivity, sanitation, infrastructure, and investments. And underlining all of that was the idea of things made in India.

Media & Entertainment is one industry that has lived by the mantra of “Make in India” for over two decades now. And it is the one industry that presents the government with the possibility of aggressive growth with a few changes in outlook and policy.

All of the above assumes even greater importance when we recognize that we have entered a new age of innovation in media and entertainment. One where the boundaries have blurred between storytelling and the technologies that deliver great stories to consumers. Broadband technology and increasing penetration of smartphones and other connected devices are facilitating the emergence of a new ecosystem that will still rely on the same storytellers to engage and entertain large consumer audiences. It will also create exciting new opportunities for the Made in India brand to shine across the world.

Sanjay Gupta, COO Star India

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and the Chinese President, Mr. Xi Jinping witnessing the signing of agreement between the Minister of State (I/C) for Information and Broadcasting, Shri Prakash Javadekar and the Minister and State General Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television, China, Mr. Cai Fuchao on Audio-Visual Co-production, in New Delhi

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RISING TIGERS TO ROAR TOGETHER India and China, the two leading nations of Asia, have signed a pact to bring their respective entertainment industries together ndia and China signed an audio-visual co-production treaty that aims to bring the film industries of the two large countries together.

The treaty, inked by India’s Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar and his Chinese counterpart Cai Fuchao, aims to bring the two countries together to “pool their creative, artistic, technical, financial and marketing resources to co-produce films. It would help Indian audio-visual products to gain greater market access,”.

India and China have agreed that the Joint Working Group established to promote facilitation in the film sector would meet on the sidelines of IFFI 2014 at Goa. Javadekar and Cai Fuchao agreed that the proposed meeting would be an important step towards identifying key deliverables and a common roadmap to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas related to films and audio-visual production.

During the discussions, Javadekar emphasized that steps needed to be taken to include television as a component of the co-production agreement. For this purpose, a separate proposal could be moved to facilitate the matter. On IFFI, 2014, the Minister mentioned that as China was the focus country, the participation of known stars from China along with the choice of Chinese films would go a long way in strengthening the exchange and cooperation in the domain of films.

Cai Fuchao, the Chinese Minister mentioned that the enthusiasm generated by the co-production agreement would be fully supported and taken forward.

I

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MUST

DO THINGS AT

MASTERMIND MURDOCH

13,500 DELEGATES UNDER ONE ROOF

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, MIPCOM 2014 will bring together 13,500 delegates from more than 100 countries including 4,700 buyers according to Laurine Garaude, Director of Reed MIDEM’s Television Division. With Mexico as its Country of Honour, industry icon Simon Cowell named Personality of the Year.

James Murdoch, 21st Century Fox’s Co-Chief Operating Officer will be the first Media Mastermind Keynote speaker in the MIPCOM 2014.

He will address delegates on October 13 and speak on creativity in today’s digital era. 21st Century Fox represents one of the world’s global original content powerhouses.

MIPCOM KEYNOTES ■ Steve Mosko, President, Sony Pictures Television ■ Ynon Kreiz. CEO, Maker Studios ■ Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer, NETFLIX ■ Jill Wilfert, Vice President, Global Licensing & Entertainment, LEGO GROUP ■ Charles Zhang Chairman of the Board & CEO, SOHU.COM ■ Anne Sweeney, Co-Chair, Disney Media Networks, and President, Disney/ABC Television Group ■ David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios, ■ Armando Nuñez, President & CEO, CBS Global Distribution Group

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ALL EYES ON AAMIR The top Indian actor-director-producer Aamir Khan will take to the stage for the inaugural MIP MegaSession, entitled ‘The Future of Factual (October 14). Since May 2012, Khan has fronted the Hindi talk show “Satyamev Jayate” (“Truth Alone Prevails”), broadcast in India on the Star channels and the Doordarshan network. The show has had a deep impact on Indian society and its ruling classes, highlighting sensitive social issues such as female foeticide, rape, child sexual abuse, dowry customs, honour killings, domestic violence and wider environmental issues. “Satyamev Jayate” has been watched by some 700 million people, and is also a major hit with online viewers. Khan will be in conversation with Oscar-nominated writer, director and producer Morgan Spurlock.

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EUROPEAN FILM MARKET  IT ALL STARTS HERE.

513 Feb 2015

Early Bird Registration starting Nov 1.

WWW.EFM-BERLINALE.DE

NEW BUSINESS STRATEGIES FROM INDIA MIPCOM brings center stage a panel of media moguls sharing their ambitious new business strategies on today’s increasingly competitive market. (October 14) SPEAKERS

FACEBOOK WORKSHOP

Best practices leveraging Facebook & Instagram in broadcast In this workshop, Facebook’s Head of Media Partnerships for EMEA, will address content producers on the impact and scale that Facebook is having on the industry. Best practices and techniques will be shared on how to grow your audience and drive meaningful engagement with more than a billion people around the globe.

RAJ NAYAK

CEO, Colors Viacom 18 Media

THREE DECADES OF SERVICE SAMEER NAIR

Group CEO, Balaji Telefilms

MIPCOM - now in its 30th year - is the year’s most anticipated global market for entertainment content across all platforms. Each October, the industry’s major players converge in Cannes to turn every moment into an opportunity, transforming four days of meetings, screenings and conferences into deals, from blockbuster programming to groundbreaking partnerships. MIPCOM brings forefront key industry players unveiling ambitious new business strategies and cutting-edge solutions aimed at putting delegates and their companies at the heart of a powerful new media world committed to collaboration, creativity and audience connection.

RAJJAT A. BARJATYA

CEO, Rajshri Entertainment

AMIT AGRAWAL

Former Head of YouTube Content Operations South & South East Asia

MODERATOR

MARCEL FENEZ

Global leader, entertainment and media, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Hong Kong

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GLOBAL CHANNEL DISTRIBUTION DAY For the first time, MIPCOM, launches a conference event to support and discuss a key sector of the international television business - the distribution of TV Channels around the world. The aim of the programme is to create a central point of interaction for channels and platforms to meet, and to provide an educational forum specifically dedicated to showcasing new channels and carriage platforms (cable, satellite, IPTV, OTT). This one day programme will take place on October 13. It will bring together the French Telco & Pay TV operator Orange, German Telco and IPTV operator Deutsche Telekom, Globecast, Al Jazeera’s global network, A+E networks, Scripps Networks International, EbonyLife TV and OTT service operator Magine.

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POWER 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL IN INDIAN MEDIA AND SHOWBIZ. WATCH OUT FOR PICKLE NOVEMBER AFM ISSUE. Pickle’s goal is to help you buy, sell and distribute content from overseas territories, find co-production partners, offshore with best of the Indian service companies and track media and entertainment business in India.

INDIA AND BEYOND 15

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FROM INDIA TO ENTERTAIN

Top Companies from India at MIPCOM EROS INTERNATIONAL MEDIA KUMAR AHUJA PRESIDENT - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT STAND: P-1 -B72 Eros International Media operates on a vertically integrated studio model managing content as well as distribution and exploitation across all formats globally, including cinema, digital, home entertainment and television syndication. It has over 1900 films in its library and is at MIPCOM with brand new Bollywood films.

RAJSHRI ENTERTAINMENT RAJJAT A. BARJATYA, MD & CEO STAND: P-1.C15 Rajshri Entertainment Private Limited is India’s leading digital entertainment studio. It is the new media arm of the 67 year old Rajshri group, one of India’s oldest, largest and most successful film and TV studios. Rajshri Entertainment produces and aggregates premium entertainment, music and special interest content across multiple languages and genres. This content is then widely distributed and monetized across the world?s leading digital platforms.

DQ ENTERTAINMENT

ZEE BOLLYWOOD SUNITA UCHIL, GLOBAL HEAD, SYNDICATION STAND: P-1.K51 Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited is India?s leading television, media and entertainment company. Zee Bollyworld is the world?s biggest compilation of premium Indian entertainment content.

A one point source with access to over 100,000 hours of premium programming that range from family dramas, romance, cookery, thrillers, game shows, music, travel, reality, formats and film based events.

TOONZ ANIMATION JAYAKUMAR PRABHAKARAN, CEO Toonz, a major provider of animation to the top US and European producers is South Asia?s most admired animation studio and part of the international business conglomerate, Comcraft Group, based out of Geneva. Founded in 1999, Toonz’s client list includes the biggest names in media and entertainment like Marvel, Hallmark, Paramount, Disney, BBC and Cartoon Network.

Toonz Animation also offers its worldwide clientele end-to-end animation services.

SHEMAROO ENTERTAINMENT

SUMEDHA SAROGI, COO STAND: P-1.L20

RAJIV JHAVERI STAND: P-1.B81

DQE is a global entertainment group with its production and distribution bases in Ireland, India, France, Manila and US, specializing in animation, gaming and VFX content production, licensing and distribution. DQE has produced intellectual properties such as The Jungle Book, Charlie Chaplin, Peter Pan, Iron Man, Casper, Little Prince, Lassie, Robin Hood in partnership with international broadcasters, distributors and independent producers in Europe & USA.

Founded in 1962, Shemaroo is today an established integrated media content house in India with activities across content acquisition, value addition to content and content distribution. Together with film based copyrights and other entertainment rights, the brand “Shemaroo” is synonymous with quality entertainment. Over the years, the Company has successfully adapted to changing content consumption patterns by expanding into New Media platforms.

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pickle entertainment biz guide

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INDIA CAST SONAL GUPTA DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL SYNDICATION STAND: E -73 ‘INDIACAST’ is a 50/50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom 18 and the Network 18 Group. ‘COLORS’ is the flagship brand of the group in the entertainment space in India. Within a span of six years, COLORS has established itself as a leading GEC broadcaster in India, with an impressive international footprint encompassing 135+ countries and some of our top programs are syndicated in more than 25 countries.

PRIME FOCUS

ULTRA VINEET MODA STAND: P-1.C60 ULTRA is a fully integrated, broad based studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full-scale film and television production and distribution, digital media and post production services. The company is also involved into content acquisitions from various production companies around the world and is associated with some of the leading production studios.

DREAMS

SANJEEV DAS, AVP

DEEPAK JADAV, CEO

Prime Focus Technologies (PFT) is the technology arm of Prime Focus, the global leader in media and entertainment industry services. PFT brings together a unique blend of Media and IT skills backed by a deep understanding of the global media and entertainment industry. PFT works with major content owners like Bloomberg, Disney, Warner Bros., STAR TV, EROS International, SONY Music, Viacom 18, SONY MSM, among others.

A one-stop creative shop, DREAMS offers multimedia content production in 2D, Flash as well as in 3D animation. The company offers expertise in the areas of Visual Effects, Gaming, Comic, Corporate presentations and interactive content creation for various platforms.

With a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of India?s Hyderabad at Banjara Hills, Dreams is the dugout of a contingent of 100 + extraordinarily proficient entertainers, who entertain the world through pen and ink!

MIPCOM, the world’s entertainment content market, gathers the TV industry’s leading players for 4 dynamic days of networking, conferences, exhibition, keynotes and screenings AGARAM INFOTECH

MADHU ENTERTAINMENT

SUBRAMANIAN TAMILALAGAN, CTO

HIRACHAND DAND, CEO

Agaram Animation Studio empowers you by providing a wide range of 2-Dimensional Flash animation services by leveraging a highly skilled and creative team. Equipped with a ultra-modern infrastructure set-up that includes a state-of-the-art i3 Intel studio, Agaram’s team has produced nearly 2000 mins of animation content that has helped win many accolades.

Madhu Entertainment & Media Ltd is a global media distribution and marketing powerhouse for Indian media content. Over the last two decades it has grown from strength to strength and today has to its credit India’s most diverse film catalogue. In the last few years, the company has further expanded to production of regional films & television content. Madhu Entertainment & Media Ltd will continue to focus on acquiring and distributing innovative high quality programming.

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MONETIZATION IS IN ZEEL’S DNA Monetization of the newer digital platforms, creating newer categories, niche genres and rural contribution to the overall entertainment pie will help us achieve the $100 billion mark, says Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) ZEE Corporate Brand has achieved a global media stature. What are your thoughts on the corporate brand’s aspirations on a global front?

Over the years, we have evolved from being a broadcaster to being a content creator, aggregator and provider. In line with this strategy, we have expanded from being a primarily South-Asian content provider to entertaining audiences in South-East Asia, the Middle East, and Russia, re-purposing the Hindi content by dubbing and subtitling it in the local languages along with select local productions. Over the next five to ten years, our aim is to be anaudio-visual conglomerate operating in Broadcasting, Digital, Film Production, TV Production, Music Publishing, Radio, Events and Sports eventually becoming a part of the top 100 of the league table. With this in mind, we want to go out and target mainstream in these countries and expand our footprint.

What will be your three prescriptions to reach the goal of $100 billion Indian media and entertainment industry by the end of this decade?

There is no sure-shot formula. However, digitization will play a crucial role. Similarly, monetization of the newer digital platforms, creating newer categories, niche genres and rural contribution to the overall entertainment pie will help us achieve the $100 billion mark.

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As a broadcaster, do you see monetization benefits accrued from digitization?

Phase I and II of digitization led to the industry maturing considerably in the last financial year. In terms of advertising revenue (10-11%), the year was not encouraging for the industry. However, ZEE’s advertising revenue grew by 21%.

In the next 2-3 years, I believe the market will certainly improve, with a CAGR of 12-14%.

In case of subscription revenues, the DTH ARPUs have shown a positive trend. While digitisation has brought multiple niche channels for the viewers, it hasn’t resulted in a dramatic shift in the viewing preferences with the GECs maintaining the same share of viewing over the niche channels.

The timely roll out of Phase III and IV of digitization will positively affect the growth trend for subscription revenues.

ZEE HAS A STRONG PRESENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND WE ARE LOOKING TO CONSOLIDATE IN THIS MARKET. WE ARE ALSO PLANNING TO EXPLORE MORE COUNTRIES IN AFRICA THIS YEAR LIKE PICKLE IN FACEBOOK

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THOUGHT LEADER Ditto TV is close to three years in operation. How do you look at over-the-top television?

We feel that the OTT category has tremendous potential for growth and is a natural extension of ZEE’s business model. Ditto TV has been designed to bring cutting-edge wireless broadband digital services to customers across the world.

It is growing consistently and with 3.5 million downloads and over 200,000 active subscribers, I strongly believe that it will transform the way content is consumed and monetized.

ZEE has been a major innovator for driving new business initiatives. You have Ditto TV platform, but still you have collaborated with Eros Now for world-wide rights of TV shows.

Does ZEE clearly believe in platform agnostic medium?

Our premium television content is enjoyed by a large global audience across diverse platforms, with a definitive surge in younger viewers who are more accustomed to consuming entertainment via digital platforms. It is therefore, a logical extension for us to make our popular programs available on leading online providers such as ErosNow. By partnering with ErosNow, we hope to enthral viewers from around the world with the best shows from ZEE’s library thus living up to our corporate brand philosophy of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The World Is My Family.’

The present and future is clearly mobile. Smart phone penetration has increased. On the other hand, the advertising medium hasn’t been able to connect brands and consumers effectively in the digital world. Where are we heading?

Currently, the exorbitant bandwidth cost and miniscule penetration of smartphones have been major challenges for the advertisers. However, with over 900 million mobile phone subscribers, there is a huge market to be tapped. It will depend on how the mobile phone ecosystem evolves in the future.

Punit Goenka MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL)

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Q

What are the markets that excite you now in the world territories and how does ZEE look into expanding its global footprint?

A

Right now, we are looking to expand our international operations and with this in mind, we recently entered into Indonesia and Thailand with Zee Bioskop and Zee Nung. Both these regions are doing well and our focus is now on other geographies within Southeast Asia, Vietnam being next on the cards. Moreover, ZEE already has a strong presence in the Middle East and we are looking to consolidate in this market. We are also planning to explore more countries in Africa this year.

Zee TV is ranked 37 in the top 100 YouTube channels this July and has grown over 100% in the last one year.

This is a clear trend that ZEE’s content aggregation works in its global expansion. How do you see this medium?

Digital media platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter provide an excellent opportunity to increase our channel reach amongst the global audiences, apart from being a great marketing tool to attract audiences to the official channel sites and programme microsites like Dance India Dance and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. ZEEL’s entry in the music space has a major impact in the industry? How do you see its prospects? How would you want to build the library catalogue for the future?

ZEEL has always been a leader in the media and entertainment space, be it films or television, and branching out into the music label space gives us an opportunity to widen our business. The music industry is a large playing field and there is scope for us to explore the opportunity in this market. Technology has also emerged as a key transformer of the music industry and digital revenues are driving growth in the market. Since we are a content company, it is essential to own intellectual property as content is the king. Regarding our catalogue, we had the music rights for ‘Holiday’ as well as ‘Humshakals’. Recently, we signed a 14-film deal with Viacom 18 that includes ‘Mary Kom’, the Akshay Kumar starrer ‘Gabbar’and ‘Manjunath’. Our deal with Fox Star Studios gives us the rights to the Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Bang Bang’ as well as one of the most anticipated releases of the year - ‘Bombay Velvet’ starring Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.

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Our premium television content is enjoyed by a large global audience across diverse platforms, with a definitive surge in younger viewers who are more accustomed to consuming entertainment via digital platforms. It is therefore, a logical extension for us to make our popular programs available on leading online providers such as ErosNow. By partnering with ErosNow, we hope to enthral viewers from around the world with the best shows from ZEE’s library thus living up to our corporate brand philosophy of ‘VasudhaivaKutumbakam – The World Is My Family.

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INNOVATION FROM ZEEL SHABNAM

Ditto

Do it anywhere, anytime Ditto TV of Zee New Media, ZEEL’s digital business arm, has witnessed a remarkable growth garnering over 3.25 lakh paid subscribers, over 4.5 million registered users and half a million downloads till date. An insight into this entertainment revolution What is your view on On-demand, specifically from the perspective of world cinema and independent films?

Digital VOD offers an ideal platform to cater to the tastes and preferences of premium and niche audience as it allows them to watch content such as critically acclaimed parallel cinema that is difficult to access otherwise. The platform is also ideal for films that are made under small banners or those that address offbeat topics as it also gives the filmmakers direct access to focused viewer groups and helps them by-pass the conventional marketing and distribution channels.

In recent times, there have been many movie makers and actors who are open to experimenting with real cinema and off beat genres, which might interest only certain sections of the society. In addition, many international films and content are also finding audiences in the domestic market. Hence Digital VOD is a boon for world cinema and independent films, to reach out to the right audience.

What do people like to see on the move - on the tablet or phone? What is it that they would like to order and watch?

The changing lifestyle and preferences among consumers has led to a paradigm shift in content consumption patterns.

Increasingly, people are opting for alternate avenues to consume content and television is no more the first screen option. We have found that content viewing habits on devices closely mirrors TV viewing habits. GECs rule on-the-go viewing, just as they do in traditional viewing. Furthermore, niche cinema,

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news and sports have also been popular genres on Ditto TV, along with devotional channels.

What are your expectations from large catalogued movie companies?

How would you like to engage with them?

Platforms such as Ditto TV present good value to aggregators of content like production houses and movie companies that own blockbusters and other critically acclaimed works since they are able to tap a wider viewership and cover a greater section of audience, all through one medium. According to market statistics, close to 42 per cent of the movie trailers were consumed through mobile devices and with a number of applications and websites now coming up, mobile television has become an independent medium in itself, with a very loyal audience base.

Hence a strategic partnership with large catalogued movie companies is bound to be a win-win situation for all. We are already in talks with some prominent movie distribution and production houses.

Going forward our key focus will continue to be to explore partnerships with international content owners / production houses to bring rich premium content for our consumers and enhance their viewing experience.

MIPCOM brings the best of the content creators from across the world?

What content do look for?

Getting the right content mix to the viewer is very essential and over a period of time, we noticed that their usage patterns was a varied mix of preferences

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“The changing consumer lifestyle and preferences has led to emergence of new avenues for content consumption. With the growing adoption of smartphones and tablets, Television and mobile screens are converging to offer a new way for content consumption while on the go. We now are seeing content developers trying to tailor make content for mobiles consumption which is testimonial to the immense potential that this category holds for the media and entertainment industry ahead”

“We at Ditto TV are committed to making the user experience as seamless, convenient and memorable as possible. We want to offer viewers the largest collection of premium content, spread across diverse genres and also offer the convenience of paying subscriptions through variety of payment options in order to enhance their viewing experience. We are confident that our efforts to offer a seamless video viewing experience will allow consumers to enjoy our varied content on Ditto TV”

Debashish Gosh Chief Knowledge Officer, Essel Group

Manoj Padmanabhan, Business Head, Ditto TV

with 41% of the total time consumed on GECs, while the News genre had grown from an average 18-19% share of total viewership to nearly 30% post December due to the pre elections coverage. These are quite interesting findings for us as they act as markers when we search for fresh content; we now know what our preferences should be when we engage with content producers and sales agents.

Consequently, Comedy, Action and Kids content are some of the genres which offer immense potential. We already have made a foray into the kids’ genre by adding Pogo and Cartoon Network to our bouquet of channels. We are also interested in international premium content, which has hitherto not been exposed to Indian Television.

We have several platforms today.

Is Ditto TV present on all -- app ios, blackberry, windows 8?

Ditto TV is the first operator-agnostic service of its kind and it is present across all Operating Systems such as Android, iOS, Symbian, Windows, Windows PC, Windows phone, Windows MAC as well as on Connected TVs. Each platform is unique in its features and capabilities and hence the challenge here was to develop the best cross-formatted app, rather than for just couple of platforms. In fact, Ditto TV was ranked #1 on the AppleApp Store within a week of its launch, and listed in ‘Featured Apps’ on the BlackBerry

App World & Windows Store ‘Spotlight’.

Further to that, Ditto TV was ranked as the top trending app on Google Play Store and the number 1 Top Grossing app on the iOS App Store in the Entertainment category.

How is Ditto TV’s engagement with Content owners and aggregator?

What’s the transparency you have set in the engagement?

The OTT segment has witnessed significant growth in recent times and one key element driving this growth has been the evolving ecosystem. We have better internet services, growing adoption for smart phones and reduction in internet tariffs by telecom players which has led to increasing the consumer engagement in the OTT space. Our engagement with content owners is more of a partnership than transactional. We want to co-exist with our partners in the eco system rather than function in isolation. We have implemented a big data solution that gives us the capability to source complete information on the demographics of the consumer: nature of content consumed, duration of viewing, devices used, geographical spread, etc. In addition we can also offer subscription pattern, viewership details, most viewed content etc. all of which is valuable insight for content owners. This information helps them streamline the content as per user preference and offers scope for content localization.

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How has Ditto TV’s growth been in recent months?

Since its inception, Ditto TV has witnessed a remarkable growth garnering over 3.25 lakh paid subscribers, 4.5 million users and over half a million downloads till date. Ditto TV has a huge network spanning across 176 countries including UK, UAE, New Zealand, Australia and the US. It has also strengthened its position in the APAC region with viewers from 17 countries, including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand and Taiwan, have access to Live ZEE content using the Ditto TV app.

One strategic development in the recent months was the tie–up with Fortumo to introduce a new payment option for consumers wherein they can pay through their mobile operator. In addition, we have also partnered with ‘Payment Solution Providers’ like Oxigen, itzcash, Payworld and Pay1 which offers Ditto TV users the convenience to make payments at these solution provider kiosks or even at the nearest retail outlets. On the content offering, Ditto TV has added a number of new channels including three HD channels from the National Geographic stable, Al Jazeera, three channels from the Times Television Network (TNN) - ET Now, Times Now and Zoom to its bouquet and the 24 hour international channel, Bikini TV is also now available LIVE on the app. Ditto TV also launched a new campaign ‘Jab BhiKare Indian TV Shows Ka Mood’ in the UK market.

Subscribers can watch renowned on-air TV Shows such as like Comedy Nights with Kapil, BalikaVadhu, Bigg Boss 8, Jodha Akbar as well as old shows such as MTV Bakra, MTV Coke Studio, HumPaanch (featuring VidyaBalan); latest Movies like Chennai Express, English Vinglish, and many videos as well.

What are your goals for DITTO TV in the next one year?

Since its launch, Ditto TV has grown to become one of the leading players in the OTT space. During our launch phase, the idea was to offer a ‘TV viewing experience’ to our consumers and hence the focus was on the interface. Now our second phase will focus on ‘enhancing user experience’. Hence we will explore strategic partnerships with international studios to bring rich premium content bouquet to our consumers. Ditto TV will also have exclusive content tailored for the platform catering to both Indian and international audiences. We have also introduced new payment options to further enhance the user experience. Ditto TV is now gearing up to introduce new payment models, offer social media integration, and explore strategic partnerships with international content owners to have access to ondemand content from global channels & networks OTT has become a trendsetter and here to stay. How does Ditto TV look at this trend?

Today, with the growing adoption of smartphones, better internet services and demand for ‘content on the go’, the OTT segment is enjoying a strong affability among consumers. One key aspect that will drive this burgeoning OTT segment will be content and the user experience. Players like Ditto TV are well poised to garner a lion’s share of viewers because of the variety and the rich premium quality content they offer. In addition, Ditto TV also looks at innovative

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means to enhance the consumer mobile viewing experience through ‘mobisodes’.

Ditto TV has also introduced new payments options such as payment through mobile operators or through payment solution providers, to further enhance the consumer experience. Even leading DTH players in the country are launching their OTT app which is a clear indication of the immense potential and future for the OTT segment.

What are the new things that you have built in to Ditto TV platform in recent times?

New payment option: One strategic development at Ditto TV in recent times is the tie up with mobile payment provider Fortumo to introduce a new mobile payment option to further simplify the overall consumer experience. With this partnership, Ditto TV users can now subscribe to their favourite content on Ditto TV and make payments directly through their mobile operator, and without the need of a credit card, cash on delivery (COD), or net banking options. This payment model is available for both post- paid and prepaid mobile users.

Website & Platform revamp: In addition, content can now also be consumed online on the newly launched website – www.dittotv.com. The website is specially designed with complete ease-of-use to give viewers the best streaming and surfing experience and it includes added features. The app across OSs has also been revamped to provide our subscribers with an enjoyable viewing experience.

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INDIA AND BEYOND

We can help you buy, sell and distribute content We also help you find co-production partners, offshore with best of the Indian film service companies We will be working on India focussed Pickle issue – CII Big Picture Summit (August), Toronto International Film Festival/Market (September), MIPCOM (October), American Film Market (November), IFFI Goa (November), ATF, Singapore (December), Pickle (New Year Special), European Film Market and Berlinale (Jan-Feb), FICCI FRAMES (March), MIPTV (April), Nab Show (April) Cannes Film Festival and Market (May) and Annecy (June).

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DIGITAL LEADER

RAJSHRI’S Digital Journey

Rajjat A. Barjatya Managing Director & CEO, Rajshri Entertainment

The challenge we face is to constantly reinvent the business and yet, retain core values, says Rajjat A. Barjatya, Managing Director & CEO, Rajshri Entertainment Private Limited, who is at MIPCOM “with an open mind to meet new people, exchange ideas and learn as much as possible”

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What do you think of the new campaign by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi ‘Make in India’?

This is exactly our vision at Rajshri Entertainment. We are India’s #1 digital entertainment studio and are part of the 67 year old Rajshri group, India’s leading film and TV studio since 1947. We have a great legacy and are often refered to as the Disney of India due to our focus on family entertainment. I am the third generation in the business. Our core TG has always been the Indian domestic and diaspora audience for our films and TV shows. But NOT in our digital business. Very early, we realized that we have to think very differently on the web. A global audience is a click away and our content has to be relevant for that audience. Hence, along with our traditional Bollywood content, which is lapped up by an Indian audience worldwide, we have also been able to successfully tap a large non Indian audience with our foray into kids content, food, lifestyle and e-news. We have over 3 billion views across multiple content verticals, genres and languges on the world’s leading digital platforms including YouTube, DailyMotion, Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, MSN, Yahoo, Rediff, VuClip etc..

What advantage do you see of working out of India?

India has a lot going for it, especially in the media and entertainment sector. It has a very large and a very young

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Q

How has been your MIP experience and what is your objective at MIPCOM 2014?

A

I am at Mipcom with an open mind to meet new people, exchange ideas and learn as much as possible. As a company, our aim is to showcase a lot of original programming developed by us to potential TV and VOD buyers worldwide. We are also licensing our large films catalog but the aim is clearly to go beyond the traditional buyer of Bollywood films. We are a 4 member team from Rajshri Entertainment and each of us has our work cut out. We also want potential partners from across the world to enjoy traditional Indian food and sweets at our stand P-1.C15. Come right over!

audience. Half of India is below the age of 25. This audience is educated, tech savvy and aspirational. India has a very young, creative and self driven pool of entrepreneurs and professionals, which is as good as any in the world. We also have tremendous heritage, wisdom and a popular culture, all of which are waiting to take over the world. All we need is a platform to reach a global audience. I am convinced that the Internet is that platform. To add to all this, we have a very progressive Prime Minister who believes in the youth and is extremely business and technology friendly.

Tell your journey of transforming 65year-old Rajshiri Entertainment from a movie production house to becoming a digital entrepreneur? You have a clear focus in being groomed as a content creator and aggregator?

When I incubated the digital business in 2006, I knew I had to leverage the equity, content, relationships and goodwill of the Rajshri brand. I also knew I had to break away from my family’s traditional mindset, attract younger talent, tap younger audiences worldwide and reinvent the Rajshri brand. The essence of both the businesses is the same. The platform is different. In Rajshri Entertainment, our digital company, we are producing, aggregating and distributing content, just like our older film production company, Rajshri Productions. The difference is that they focus on the first and second screen (cinema and TV), while we focus on the third, fourth and fifth (PCs, mobile phones and tablets). The larger vision is to entertain viewers worldwide anytime, awnywhere and on any screen!

How have you sustained all these while? Where did you get the resilience from? You are one of the first movers in this space? It is tough to be in the top ranking for six to seven years?

An entrepreneur’s life is a roller coaster. It was really tough, especially in the first few

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years, since we were ahead of the curve and the ecosystem was very nascent. It was our passion and complete conviction in the medium that kept us going. My family was very supportive, even though they didn’t really understand what I was doing back then! I still believe we have only just scratched the surface and have a long way to go. But we are very profitable and have a solid foundation to build on from here.

Tell us about your digital workforce?

How do you skill them?

They skill me! Jokes apart, I’m 40 and I didn’t grow up in the Internet age. My team picks up things much faster than I do. It comes very naturally to them. They teach me more than I teach them. We are now close to 90 of us in Rajshri Entertainment and I have ensured that the average age does not exceed 25. My team is young, passionate, willing to make mistakes and above all, works with a tremendous sense of ownership and pride.

How many hours of content do you produce?

We are a content powerhouse. Our total library is close to 25,000 hours across genres and languages. We have aggregated a lot of premium, long form content. We produce about 150 minutes of content in-house for digital platforms - everyday. This number is increasing very rapidly. We see ourselves producing and owning premium IPR and popular content brands, backed by solid distribution on digital platforms.

Do you aspire to become a $ 1billion dollar company? When will you achieve this feat?

Money has never been a motivator. For me, the biggest high is the ability to reach a global audience and impact an entire generation. We are 100% family owned. I have not built this business to sell. Even our 67 year old film production company is 100% family owned. The challenge we face is to constantly reinvent the business and yet, retain core values.

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It is very tough in a place like India to be a digital entrepreneur (not now, but when you became one). Give some examples of roadblocks and has the climate changed now?

When I began my entrepreneurial journey in 2006, the digital ecosystem was in its infancy. There was very low Internet penetration in India. Broadband was virtually nonexistent. There were no smart phones. There was no YouTube. We began by aggregating premium content, leveraging our relationships, for our own video streaming platform. I had no option but to target NRI’s when I began. 9 out of 10 views came from overseas. When YouTube came along in 2008, we took a call that we will own the content rather than the consumer.

We rode the YouTube wave and have now built a very strong network of channels on YouTube and other major distribution platforms on web and mobile.

Do you worry about Indian broadcasting in its linear form? How long would it run like this?

The biggest advantage of the Internet is that it puts the viewer in control. He/she can watch any content anytime and anywhere. The Internet also democratizes content. There are no gatekeepers, there are no programming executives deciding what I should watch and no programming

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based on what advertisers will support. I have no doubts that linear and non linear platforms will co-exist. TV is huge and getting bigger. But viewers are moving to the Internet, especially the younger ones and that’s where I want to be. The TV device will be integral to family viewing but the content may flow via the Internet in the future.

Who is your audience? Your target seems to be 7 billion instead of inwardly looking at 1.2 billion Indians?

On the Internet, any video we publish is one click away for anyone anywhere in the world. But as much as I would like our audience to be truly global, a lot depends on the type of content we publish. We have a lot of traditional Indian entertainment content like films/songs in multiple languages, Bollywood news and gossip, TV celebs news and gossip, devotional aartis, chants, bhajans etc. This kind of content is consumed by an Indian audience, domestic and NRI. But we also produce kids, food, yoga and lifestyle content that is consumed by a much larger global audience.

Now, we are working on international language content specifically for major international markets. Our Japanese language food channel Indono Daidokoro is a step in that direction.

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It is fascinating to watch your Japanese YouTube channel Indono Daidokoro?

Yes, this is something my team and I are very proud of. The larger aim is to take Indian cuisine to a global palette. If we can eat sushi, why can’t the Japanese eat samosa? Indono Daidokoro (www.youtube.com/indonodaidokoro) has Indian recipes in Japanese language. We have got an encouraging response, with negligible promotion. We are now ready with Indian recipes in Arabic and Spanish. These are long term plays and are completely blue ocean opportunities.

Why do you think Netflix or Hulu has not entered India?

We have a number of Netflix clones!

I’m sure they will be here soon and are waiting for a few macro factors to fall in place. First and foremost, these services depend on ubiquitous and reliable broadband.

Broadband penetration is still very low in India, wired and/or wireless.

4G/LTE is still a year away. I’m sure they don’t want to compromise on their quality of service. The second issue is about monetization and payment collection.

The Indian viewer is not used to paying online and is unable to pay easily online since credit card penetration is still very low. I strongly believe that the viewer does not mind paying, like he/she does on mobile through the carrier but we have to make it easy and seamless for him/her to pay a monthly subscription for a quality product.

What technologies excite you in the media space. Media and technology are married and both cannot live without each other?

I am very clear that we are in the entertainment business. We are married to content. Technology is an enabler. We are technology and platform agnostic. Having said this, I am really waiting for 4G/LTE to launch. It will be a game changer for companies like ours that offer rich media.

You don’t need 4G to access Google!

The Indian M&E industry has set itself a target of $100 Bn by the end of this decade. What according to you could help make it happen?

Thinking of ourselves as a global industry, with a global audience is the first of

many steps to reach that goal. I don’t think the IT industry could have reached where it has if it restricted itself to Indian clients alone. The world is our market. India has a huge talent pool. India also has a lot to offer the world and differentiate itself – films, music, yoga, food, Panchtantra stories for kids, Gita, Vedas, Upanishads and much more. It’s a question of packaging and presenting this in a manner that appeals to a global audience.

The present and future is clearly mobile. The smart phone penetration has increased. Online video consumption is on the rise.

India is a mobile first market. A majority of Inma dians access the dia Internet on their Int mobile phones mo and an this will only increase with inc better device and bet network evolune tion.

As a busitio ness, we have ne to think mobile first. r For me, the mobile phone is mo an entertainment device which you dev can also use to communicate! com The Th advertising medium hasn’t me been able to be connect brands co and consuman ers effectively er in the digital i world? What is your view?

The shift is happening rapidly. More and more money is moving from traditional media to digital. Consumers have moved and so will brands. It will take a while to figure out the right way to connect with consumers on the digital medium. Brands cannot apply traditional media rules to digital. Digital is a different animal altogether. It is also extremely transparent, targeted and analytics driven. At Rajshri Entertainment, we are keen to engage with brands for product placements, original web shows and other clutter breaking opportunities.

Finally, how do you consume content?

And in how many screens? What happens at your home?

A majority of my content consumption happens on the Internet on multiple devices, my iMac, iPhone or iPad, depending on where I am and what I am consuming.

I hardly watch TV except for live sporting events or latest news. I also make it a point to watch every single film that releases. I spend a lot of money at multiplexes!

If we can eat sushi, why can’t the Japanese eat samosa? Indono Daidokoro has Indian recipes in Japanese language

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DUART SERVICES

DuArt is expanding and it’s looking forward for co-production partners and collaborative studios at MIPCOM

Charles Darby & Tim Werenko New York-based DuArt is currently focusing more on human services like voice localization, game dubbing, audio book creation and real estate. Pure technical services is almost dead

Charles is DuArt’s COO and Tim is VP Production DuArt twerenko@duart.com

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How is the market scenario? How has been 2014 so far for you?

Work has been very strong in 2014 on the language front.

We have just created a separate DuArt division for our dubbing department with the title Global Language Services. Tim Werenko is the division head. We are in the planning process to build three additional voice recording studios – it would bring our total to ten. The growth in 2014 has primarily come via projects originating from Russia, Italy, and Korea.

How has the digital services transformed DuArt? Be it picture, sound, production, colouring -- everything has become digital...

As we mentioned in 2013, there is no question “digital services” has had a negative effect on many of the traditional services we offer clients. We just purchased another company based in New York, New York Digital Media. They should be a good fit for us given their experience with new media. As an “approved provider”, they deliver a lot of products to iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, Showtime and many others. We just moved them into our building this past August and we’ve already seen a great jump in revenue.

We are witnessing an explosion of content consumption in multi-screen today. Tell us about the end to end solutions provided at DuArt...

There’s no such thing as an “end solution.” The need

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for content opens the doors of creativity and that’s a great thing for us. Technical services for this type of content is done generally by the client because the budgets are so low for this content. But the creative aspect is something you can’t bottle, and that’s where we excel.

What are your primary objective and focus at MIPCOM? We are expanding and reaching out in a global way. We are looking for co-production partners, collaborative studios, and of course, we are always looking for great new shows to work on.

What are the major changes happening in the media service business?

We are starting to see a trickle of 4K projects to edit and color correct and requests to mix audio in Dolby 7.1. Our blu ray department is busy and doesn’t suffer much direct competition, but discs are declining as digital file delivery takes hold. We just completed renovating our 4th floor into 18 edit suites, a conference room, a lounge, kitchen and IT room. A large budget Paramount movie was the first tenant on the floor.

The demand for short-term production and editing space remains very strong in New York.

Last time, we spoke, there was an explosion in audio books segment services and DuArt was keeping busy. Is it continuing?

In 2013 Audio Book revenue was up 47% from 2012 but is flat this year. However, we just signed a three year agreement to produce approximately 900 books. This will start in the first quarter of 2015 and essentially double the business. So the explosive growth continues.

Tell us about your services which are purely human? Voice, script, stories...

New York is home to some of the greatest creative talent in the world. We’ve expanded our writing services. We are recording first rate scratch tracks for animators to use as the basis of their work. We continue to expand our production with four new series. Using this solid creative platform and our standing in the industry, we are developing original content. It’s a very exciting time at DuArt. Do you still continue Americanization of the Pokemon franchise?

Yes, Pokemon continues to be one of our anchor clients. Roughly 52 episodes a year including a movie and often a video game. We receive the shows in the original Japanese and n turn out the version tu sshown on American ttelevision. The DuArt created English A version also goes out v tto most of the world for further adaption fo into many other in foreign languages. fo Here is an example H of a show, created in o Japan with US headJ quarteres in Seattle, q Washington, doing W their English lanth guage work in New g York. Why go anyY where else? w How does DuArt H help clients save h money and control costs in digital services domain?

More often than not, when I’m asked to quote a project, I’ll go back and find out the budget. Many of our talent pool work freelance, and we provide a volume of work to these talented people, so we’re often able to negotiate rates. It’s much easier if I know a client’s target budget. If I can’t make it happen, I’ll be honest and say so, but any production that is really serious will have realistic budgets. As long as we agree on how to work, then we are all set to get to work.

The need for content opens the doors of creativity and that’s a great thing for us

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pickle entertainment biz guide

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THE BIG PICTURE OF MONETIZATION The third edition of Confederation of Indian Industry’s Big Picture Summit 2014 (September 19-20) ended on a bright note with the idea of convergence of various media getting a major boost, opening up new avenues for monetization and better business modules.

The summit brought together the finest of the creative and business minds of the M&E sector. CII’s objective is to scale the Indian M&E sector towards achieving $100 billion by the end of this decade. The 2014 summit looked at achieving this goal through the prism of monetization strategies in M&E verticals.

“The CII Big Picture Summit has become the essential meeting place for everyone engaged in the Indian M&E sector to do a reality check on where do we go now,” says Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII, India’s leading industry body.

With 64 offices, including 9 Centres of Excellence, in India, and 7 overseas offices in Australia, China, Egypt, France, Singapore, UK, and USA, as well as institutional partnerships with 312 counterpart organizations in 106 countries, CII serves as a reference point for Indian industry and the international business community.

Mr Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting and Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, releasing the CII-PwC’s report India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2014 at the Big Picture Summit in New Delhi

Roshans with Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII at the felicitation ceremony at the CII Big Picture Summit 2014 in New Delhi

CII HONOURS ROSHANS FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE INDIAN CINEMA FOR NEARLY SIX DECADES

“Thank you so much for this wonderful honour. It is so incredibly satisfying to be acknowledged in such a wonderful way for my family… Being here on this stage and see this love showered upon us is completely satisfying and fulfilling.”

Hrithik Roshan

The legacy of Roshans will be carried forward by the next generation, said a proud Rakesh Roshan at the CII Big Picture Summit in Delhi while sharing with the audience the ambitions of his grandchildren to become actors like father Hrithik.

“Rajesh’s son is assisting me, and he is heading to films. And once I asked Hrehaan and Hridhaan, ‘What do you want to become when you grow up?’ They said, ‘Actors!’”

“Roshans will be there,” said the versatile actor, writer, producer and director -- the reinventor of Bollywood who is known for his films like Khudgarz, Khoon Bhari Maang, Karan Arjun, Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya and the recent Krrish series Bollywood’s famous Roshan trio Rakesh, Rajesh and Hrithik -were felicitated on September 19 for their “incredible contribution to Indian cinema” by the Confederation of Indian Industry. The family, including actor-filmmaker Rakesh and composer Rajesh’s respective wives, were also present on the occasion.

A short video clip titled “The Roshans” took the audience on a journey across the family’s contribution to cinema. It also included works of Rakesh and Rajesh’s father, the late composer Roshanlal Nagrath, popularly known as Roshan. Rajesh Roshan is the first music director who made Amitabh Bacchan sing in Mr Natwarlal.

Rakesh Roshan was still in school when their father died. He said his inspiration came from their father who composed memorable songs like Khayalon Mein Kiske… and Teri Duniya Mein Dil Nahi Lagta…”

The trio also participated in a candid discussion, sharing with the audience their camaraderie on the sets and studios; their love for each other; learning; and future career plans.

LET’S UNLOCK POTENTIAL Mr Prakash Javadekar, Minisiter of State for Information & Broadcasting, stated that there was tremendous potential in the Indian M&E sector.“$100 billion target is achievable” and appreciated the aim set by the Confederation of Indian Industry. The minister was of the opinion that people need food, clothing and shelter but they also need good health, education and entertainment. He encouraged the industry to aim for more ambitious target than $100 billion.

The minister also spoke about the “fantastic” archives of Doordarshan and All India Radio, which the government was planning to digitise. “We have already issued an Expression of Interest and six companies have shown interest.

The best of the programmes in the archives can be clubbed together, rebranded and can be even put on mobile apps,” he said. He committed that the third phase of Cable TV digitisation would begin from April 2015 and be completed by December 2015. The phase IV digitisation would begin immediately after the completion of Phase III and would end by December 2016.

FREEDOM OF CHOICE Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom 18 Media Pvt Ltd and Chairman, CII National M&E Committee, said a transformative approach could catapult the industry past the $100 billion aim by the end of this decade. π Free-market orientation: “The regulator needs to ensure a level-playing field for all participants; establish, enforce and protect a strong property rights regime and maintain regulatory oversight. Leave the rest to us,” he said. He questioned the rationality behind regulating subscription tariffs. “Let us adapt and cater to the tastes of our consumers. If the consumer is willing to pay, nothing should come in her way. And if she does not enjoy the content, who are we to make it and charge anything for it?” π Multiplicity & Freedom of Choice: The Indian consumer is both intelligent and discerning. Let’s respect her and let her decide by giving her options to choose from (multiplicity), Vats said. “Even more importantly nothing should come in the way of the consumer and her choice (freedom).”

WAKE UP, SAYS SID “We need to start producing content more keeping in mind the concept and less keeping in mind the platform,” said Siddharth Roy Kapur, MD, Disney India in his monetization keynote on Transmedia.

He maintained that the consumer and the creator view media in a very different way. The younger generation has been exposed to various kinds of media. They just think about the content they are consuming in various platforms as and when they want to with the relevance it has to them and control what they are viewing/ reading, he said.

He gave an example that Disney UTV Stuido’s Shah Rukh Khan starring Chennai Express was watched by 3% of the population of India in movie theatres. “A massive chunk of people watched that in television” he added. However, he was bullish about Indian Media and Entertainment sector.

A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD CALLED WEB Times Internet Ltd (part of the Times of India Group) has been active on the web for 15 years and branched into everything from news to entertainment. It is the largest digital media group in India with 100 million visitors every month and led by young CEO Satyan Gajwani.

In his keynote on monetization in digital media, Satyan Gajwani spoke of the innovation led digital media.

“There is a huge opportunity in media that we don’t even know today.

A lot of these innovation used to happen in the US, but in recent times we see this happen in India. These new media modules that will be different from traditional will be ten times the value of regular traditional businesses. We as media companies should support innovative digital media companies as it develops as one of our goals toward $100 billion. Amazing things show up on Internet because it is the ultimate meritocracy. There can be three guys sitting in a garage or a 10,000 person Internet company with lots of money but it is a fair fight between each of them. Because, the Internet treats everybody equally.

Increasingly that claim is under threat. It is under threat because people who control the pipes -- who are telecom operators -- have an opportunity if not control probably but take advantage of making Internet an unequal play. If one of our goals is to built an incredibly vibrant digital media ecosystem where India stands on the map as globally respected, we should be doing a part to make sure that everybody has a fair chance of Internet.”

CII-PWC REPORT SHABNAM

Ready, Steady,Grow India

Projected M&E growth CAGR over 2013-18

Business no longer needs a digital strategy. Instead, what it needs is a business strategy that fits the digital age

Television

Film

Print

Radio

15%

12%

7%

17%

Music

Gaming

Internet Advertising

13%

15%

Internet Access

21%

28%

I

ndia’s entertainment and media sector is expected to grow steadily over the next five years, as per CII-PwC’s latest report titled India Entertainment & Media Outlook 2014. The industry is expected to exceed 227,000 crore INR by 2018 growing at compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15% between 2013 and 2018.

In 2013, the overall entertainment and media industry was estimated to be 112,044 crore INR and grew by 19% over the previous year. The largest segment, India’s television industry, continued its strong growth momentum led by subscription revenues, representing a year-on-year growth of about 15%. Internet access and internet advertising have been the fastest growing segments with annual growth rates of 47 and 26% respectively.

“The key theme of our report this year is ‘monetisation strategies in media sector’. Clearly, the future lies in digital media as the internet segment is leading the growth in India.” said Chandrajit Baner-

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jee, Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry.

The revenue from advertising is expected to grow at a CAGR of 13% and will exceed 60,000 crore INR in 2018 from 35,000 crore INR in 2013. Internet access has overtaken the print segment as the second-largest segment contributing to the overall pie of entertainment and media sector revenues.

Smita Jha, Leader, Entertainment and Media practice, PwC India, said, “Digital success does not just necessarily mean better, improved technology. It means applying a digital mindset to build the right behaviours among industry stakeholders. This includes getting ever closer to the customer–across the entire organisation, and in everything it does.”

Businesses no longer need a digital strategy, what they need is a business strategy fit for a digital age. The industry needs to get even closer to the consumer and adopt more flexible business models. To LIKE PICKLE IN FACEBOOK

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Projected revenues of the Indian E&M industry in billion INR, 2013-2018 Segment

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

CAGR

Television

420

486

568

648

756

846

15%

Print

223

241

259

278

298

314

7%

Internet access

252

352

446

552

613

662

21%

Film

126

141

161

179

198

217

12%

OOH

19

21

23

25

26

28

8%

Radio

18

20

23

27

32

40

17%

Music

12

13

14

16

19

22

13%

Gaming

21

26

30

35

38

43

15%

Internet advertising Total

29

38

52

68

87

100

28%

1,120

1,337

1,576

1,827

2,068

2,272

15%

Source: Industry discussions and PwC India analysis Note: Excluding internet access, the Indian E&M sector is expected to grow at about 13% cagr over 2013-2018 and reach revenues of about 1,610 billion INR in 2018. $1 = Rupees 1 Euro = Rupees

Digital success is not just about technology. It’s about applying a digital mindset to build the right behaviours do this, companies must exhibit three behaviours: forging trust with consumers; creating the confidence to move with speed and agility; and empowering innovation. This will be an important step in monetising the digital consumer.

Television and print are expected to remain the largest contributors to the advertising pie in 2018 as well. Internet advertising will emerge as the third-largest segment, with a share of about 16% in the total E&M advertising pie. The film segment estimated at 12,600 crore INR in 2013 is projected to grow steadily at a CAGR of 12%, on the back of higher domestic and overseas box-office collections as well as cable and satellite rights.

With the rapidly increasing adoption of smartphones and tablets, the gaming sector is fast emerging as a promising source of revenue for the industry. Efforts by industry players as well as support from the government are expected to provide a

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pickle entertainment biz guide

major boost to the gaming sector, which is still in its infancy. Out-of-home advertising is gradually expected to slide to the last position in terms of revenue contribution to the sector, with its share declining to 1% in 2018, while music remains constant at 1% revenue share between 2013 and 2018.

It’s a mindset that focuses unwaveringly on applying the core principles of digital—which are about getting ever closer to the consumer.

The bedrock of a strategy fit for a digital age is the digital mindset. This provides a solid plinth for a successful strategy. Companies must build on this by developing and exhibiting three behaviours: forging trust; confidence to move with speed and agility; and empowering innovation.

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Future of TV is TV

Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India Even though the sector is small today, there is an exciting future ahead. But it will require big investments, a lot of thoughtfulness and a lot of dexterity, said Sanjay Gupta, COO, Star India, in his keynote address at the CII Big Picture Summit 2014 in the session on Tomorrow’s TV. Excerpts:

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T

here is a lot of excitement around digital these days.

After all, in a world where newspapers are being read on the phone, movies watched on a tablet and football played on a personal computer, it is no surprise that there is a lot of buzz and excitement in the field. And most of the excitement is well deserved. The ecosystem of technology, new screens and exciting new software have the potential to change the world, including for old-world broadcasters like us.

Today, we proudly exclaim that India’s digital consumption is over 50 billion video views a year. That number does sound impressive – but is it really that big? Let’s put it in perspective: 700 million Indians watch television for 3 hours every day. If I take an average 3 minute-length from the digital world, total television video views come to nothing short of 15,000 billion a year. So we are talking about 50 billion video views on digital versus 15,000 billion video views on television. 0.3%.

All said, it is a rather small number. What it tells us is that, exciting as it is, it is still a sector that needs to be actively shaped and nurtured.

Bringing in the right skillsets, making content that cuts through the clutter and creating an ecosystem that constantly delivers to rising consumer expectations – all of it requires financial muscle. Investments will not only be around content creation, it will also mean actively shaping the delivery: from crafting the video delivery backbone to shaping the experience for the consumer. If businesses are assuming that this is just about pushing out video clips to any platform that is willing to carry it, they neither understand the power of this new medium nor do they understand the scale of the challenge. In a market that is barely starting to evolve, it will require deep pockets to stay in the game.

Secondly, content will still be king. Every time a new technology or device comes up, there is an assumption that it will

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upset the natural orders of the universe.

But one thing that always stays constant is that the winners are those who can tell the best stories.

The consumer, sitting in front of the television or mobile screen – will just as ruthlessly switch off bad content, as he did before. And, therefore, the winners will be the specialist story tellers. They will have to adapt to the new world; maybe even tell different stories than they are used to now.

But there is no question in my mind at all that the basis for success will not fundamentally change with the emergence of new digital screens.

There is one thing though that I think may fundamentally change. The transition from television to digital will force us to revisit our monetization models. Every time a consumer watches a video on the Internet, especially on a mobile screen, he is paying a lot of money per minute. There is a myth that the Internet is free.

In reality, consumers pay a lot more to watch a video on the Internet than they do to watch it at home on a television screen. Consumers are already spending close to $4 billion a year on data.

The big question then is if the ecosystem can find a fair way to distribute this enormous pool across the value chain, between the content and access providers, in a manner that rewards risk and creativity.

Classic subscription models, therefore, even if they have worked well in other parts of the world, may well need to give way to an advertising reliant model and one that is based on a share of the data revenues billed by telecom operators. Not just that, we may need to discover entirely new monetization models that may have been inconceivable on television.

Even as there is cause for optimism about the sector, I worry about two big issues that I think can significantly stall the future.

The first is expansion of access to real broadband.

Today, our 3G networks are struggling to support a population of 15% internet penetration – we all notice how call drops have risen, and mobile networks are struggling to keep pace with growing data consumption. What will this creaking system deliver when internet penetration levels rise up to 30%, 50% or even 80% one day. And in a market where every 2nd or 3rd family member is likely to take to his smartphone to consume content, and not get another TV – especially, as we talk about

digital access penetrating deeper into the suburban/rural parts of the country. It is truly frightening that the telecom operator does not seem to be clear whether to really grow data usage or find ways to manage it. When growth happens, it will not happen at a pace that is convenient to the operator.

For me, this is the biggest opportunity waiting to be unleashed: whether a private operator or a public entity, any player that is willing to make disproportionate investments to create a national broadband backbone will not only open up an explosion of new content, services and new creative forces, it will also get disproportionate long term financial returns.

There is no question in my mind, that it has already become an issue of supply and not one of consumer an demand. dem The other threat to the inTh dustry comes from digital du piracy. Cleverly garbed as pir user-generated content, use the choicest of content is being made quickly, freely, illegally available fre to unwitting consumers – and a monetized, without having to go through the hav pains of either buying or pa developing or conceptualdev izing any of it. I do genuizi inely believe that we have ine all been too enamoured of the new technology outfits to truly recognize and call out what is nothing more than old fashioned piracy.

What used to be one man selling 100 DVDs in a dark alley earlier, has ransformed into millions of viewers being lured into watching content, well before its release date!

While there is no easy answer to this one, the first step to combat this is a collective sense of awareness among the community of content creators and platforms alike.

Let us not create a world where innovation slows down because the economics of a pirated industry were prohibitive. And let us not get enamoured with the glamour of new technology that disguises piracy as innovation.

In summary, there is no question that even though the sector is small today, there is an exciting future ahead. But it will require big investments, a lot of thoughtfulness and a lot of dexterity, both in shaping services for consumers and in discovering revenue models that are sustainable.

But, there is no question in my mind, that beyond the headlines and the snazzy new technologies, the winners will still be the very best of content creators who can keep engaging people with compelling stories. The future of TV is TV.

The winners will be the very best of content creators who can keep engaging people with compelling stories

47

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CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT

“The government should urgently formulate a national media policy. Government, state governments and their organs have no business to be in the broadcasting and distribution space and it is my considered view that the government needs to announce this as an integral part of its national media policy.”

Takeaways from CII Big Picture Summit

Rahul Khullar Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai)

“Convenient conditions to raise the soft power of a nations requires two important things -- sound judiciary and thriving democracy. India in this respect is abundantly endowed with both.”

Sudhanshu Pandey Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce & Industry

48

“Public broadcaster Doordarshan plans to start broadcasting directly a bouquet of 20 free to air channels in partnership with private media houses on mobile phones from next year.

At present you have choice of dish, cable and antenna. The fourth choice that will come up is digital antenna which will offer bouquet of 20 free channels on TV this year and next year on mobile.”

Jawhar Sircar CEO, Prasar Bharti

Prasar Bharati is working on digitising its terrestrial signal and to provide more free to air channels and better content from private players rather than producing the content itself.

pickle entertainment biz guide

The Prasar Bharati is still relevant and care should be made to make it absolutely independent.

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“For me, only two things matter greater than viewership and greater than success. They are integrity and credibility.”

Arnab Goswami Editor-in-Chief and News Anchor, Times Now

Content producers should capitalise on the next wave of opportunities that the app world provides

“What’s happening in the cloud is taking convergence to a new level and show what India can do on the global stage.

The time is right for India to change the game” Raj Biyani MD, Microsoft IT (India)

www.ciibigpicture.com “In addition to being a fascinating country, India has unparalleled vibrancy, creativity and talent. For us, opportunity in a market of increasing demand is very exciting” JB Perrette President, Discovery Networks International

“I have never suffered from format myopia, genre myopia and frequency myopia. If you suffer from any of these myopias you will never be able to get monetisation...

Disruptors sometime don’t make money, but make valuation. InÁuencers make money, but don’t disrupt.”

Dr Bhaskar Das Group CEO, ZEE Media Corporation Ltd

49

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CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT

700 million TV Viewers in India

“Film studios in my view have to abandon the bad pursuit of scale in favour of the pursuit of proÀtablity. That old mantra of business cannot be forgotten.”

Ajit Andhare COO, Viacom18 Motion Pictures

“We have a great story ahead in terms of convergence.

There is a huge opportunity for digital in terms of monetisation.”

Aroon Purie

“When Rajinikanth (Indian Àlm star and an icon in South of India) joined Twitter, it almost crashed.

We haven’t seen a moment like that.”

Chairman & Editor-inChief, The India Today Group

Indian Market Director, Twitter

Rishi Jaitly

“Convergence has truly become a reality.”

10 Million

Number of People employed in the M&E industry

Neeraj Roy MD&CEO, Hungama Digital M&E Pvt Ltd

“Whoever knows the consumer as an individual and then service his/her taste or preferences will walk away with a bigger pie.”

Raman Kalra ED & Partner, IBM Global Business Services

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The LA India Film Council and consulting Àrm Ernst and Young launched “Made in India: Attracting and incentivizing Àlm productions” report at the CII Big Picture Summit.

Frank Rittman Motion Picture Association of America senior vp and deputy managing director & regional policy ofÀcer, Asia- PaciÀc

Get in touch For participation in CII Big Picture Summit, 2015 New Delhi

Contact Kavita Saini kavita.saini@cii.in Neetu Sikka neetu.sikka@cii.in

Google As A Whole is Worth $400 Bn 51

“Everywhere TV is here to stay. It might be small today, but will be big very soon. It is a real, solid consumer need. It is not a fashion anymore. Watching TV on multi-screen is a reality.”

Paolo M Agostinelli Chief Content & BD ofÀcer, Tata Sky

The M&E industry has the complete support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of digital India that will accelerate convergence across the country.

The government needs to come out with a National Media Policy. A full-Áedged debate has to be initiated in this regard.

1

New Delhi

“The single-window clearance system is a step forward to help increase transparency and reduce delays in obtaining permissions,”

2

India needs September 19-20 2014 The indusa new media try got clarpolicy where ity on the next network carriers two phases of Cable TV digitisation roadmap. should be dealt with one department and content should The third phase of digitizabe under the purview of antion will begin from April other department and they 2015 and end on Decemshould not transgress. ber 2015. The fourth phase will begin when the third phase ends and will be completed by December 2016.

pickle entertainment biz guide

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CII BIG PICTURE SUMMIT

“If I am working with Google, I get my money next month.

If I am working with a telco, I do not know whether I was supposed to get money from them. I run a business. I need the money next month. No money, no business.”

Rakesh Roshan, Rajesh Roshan and Hrithik Roshan participated in a candid discussion, sharing with the audience their camaraderie on the sets and studios; their love for each other; learning; and future career plans.

Hitendra Merchant

THOUGHTFUL IMPRESSIONS

Founder & CEO, Yoboho

You have to produce content which would suit markets.

You need to know where digital content is monetized and create content for that market.

Don’t expect your content to play anywhere

“Over the next few years you will see that it is not just cricket which will dominate the Indian sports lovers’ thoughts, but it could be all kinds of sports. The four pillars that make sports strong are players, administrators, fans and the media. If these four get together and do a good job with coordination you will see the sports grow. The Àfth pillar is the sponsor. Without sponsor, no sport could really run.”

Sunil Gavaskar Cricket icon and Co-owner, IBL Mumbai Franchise

“On behalf of content industry, I would want to emphasize three points. The regime of compulsory licensing as mandated may or may not be against truly economically beneÀcial to the creative community. There is a need for a regulatory framework which should be independent and self administered body.”

Sridhar Subramaniam President, India and Middle East, Sony Music Entertainment India

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Soft Power

India has immense potential for expanding its soft power. Bollywood has been traditionally leading on this front. Yet there is more that needs to be done. One of such steps would be to go back to our roots and rediscover our amazing stories and tales and our unique and varied folk music that is found in the length and the breadth of the country. We should be able to bring them out and present it to the outside world in a better and cogent way. The soft power proÀle of the country would also greatly increase if we were able to synchronize our cinema, sports and our culture and package it as Brand India.

Raising the skill proÀle by utilizing our demographic dividend would also lead to promotion and propagation of Brand India as more and more Indians go out seeking livelihoods abroad.

NEED OF THE HOUR M&E industry leaders are of view that all stakeholders should meet regularly to execute this task on time.

The policies and new laws have to be designed in such a way that we move from licensing to registration regime which means that regulator should be a facilitator.

53

A strong anti-piracy law with an even stronger enforcement is the order of the day and critical for the success of convergence which would enable monetisation.

Need to build an ecosystem for content producers and advertisers to adapt to fast changing technology and resultant consumer behaviour.

pickle entertainment biz guide

“There is no control over social media. There are no editors in social media. Anyone can write anything. At times, I get worried that people start believing in those things.

The kind of videos which we can’t show in TV (because of guidelines), and stories which newspapers cannot write are in social media. Social media is dangerous.”

Rajat Sharma Chairman and Editor-in Chief, India TV

Future of News Organisations

“India has a chance to be the world leader in digital technology. Lot of things that people talk across the world exist in India. In digital radio, India could lead the way.”

Ruxandra Obreja Chairman, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) Consortium & Head-Digital Radio, BBC World Service

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