After the dramatic end of the Star-Balaji proposed joint venture -- formed to launch regional channels -- Balaji has signed a content deal with leading southern broadcaster Sun Network. Balaji's move will set the battleground between Star and Balaji as the Murdoch company is believed to be partnering with Kerala-based broadcaster Asianet for its regional foray.
At least three major broadcasting companies have held discussions on forming a combine, the first of its kind, to counter the might of media buying houses in dictating commercial air-time rates.
A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced that players can be transferred for the second edition of the DLF Indian Premier League team, owners are already drawing up their wish lists.
Small-budget films seem to be raking in the moolah for production houses. Little wonder that filmmakers like Ghai, Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt and Pritish Nandy have over the years stuck to making small-budget films in the range of Rs 10-15 crore (Rs 100-150 million).
What started as a trickle three years ago has now hit big time with music companies putting more and more songs on iTunes. "Three years back, when we started off, Bollywood filmmakers were not very bullish about promoting music content on a global platform. Under iTunes' world category of songs, Bollywood certainly features in the top three," said Neeraj Roy, CEO, Hungama Mobile. The company has been responsible for making Bollywood music available on iTunes.
Riding on the success of Indian Idol 3, advertisers are queuing up for the fourth season of the show. Sony Entertainment Television, which will air Indian Idol 4 starting September 19 has sold over 85 per cent of the advertising inventory.
With competition rising in the entertainment channel business due to the advent of new players, broadcasters are ready to cough up huge amounts to celebrities in the hope of wooing a more fragmented audience. As a result, anchor rates have doubled and tripled since Bachchan warmed the hot seat. Naturally, the programming cost has shot through the roof.
You can soon buy your car or house sitting in front a television set. With Network 18 launching India's first home shopping channel Home Shop 18 in April, and Star TV group soon to join the fray, the home shopping channels are expected to be the next big thing for television broadcasters.
Official telecaster Prasar Bharati has got Life Insurance Corporation, Maruti, Suzuki, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), Indian Oil Corporation, BSNL and Samsung on board as sponsors for telecast of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics. But with the tournament starting on August 8, Prasar Bharati is yet to have a presenting sponsor.
The deal is expected to be struck at $150 million (about Rs 600 crore). If the deal goes through, it will mark the entry of Indian companies in Hollywood studios.
In yet another move to strengthen his association with the Sony Group, Spice Chairman B K Modi is in talks to buy stake in Sony BMG, the group's music subsidiary.
In two years, Mumbaikars will be able to take the waterway, forking out Rs 70 for a 45-minute journey between the city's commercial centre Nariman Point and its suburbs in Borivali, while enjoying the Arabian sea breeze. The high power committee chaired by Maharashtra chief secretary Johnny Joseph, in a meeting on Thursday, has finalised the bidding criteria for the ambitious passenger water transport project along the western coast of Mumbai.
Consider this. Leading broadcaster Star India's mobile interactive division, Star Mobile Entertainment -- which made some serious headway in the space by launching a service whereby mobile users could opt to view soaps from across Star India's network -- recently reviewed its operational strategy.
Twenty20 cricket is back again, but this time in an international avatar. The Board of Control for Cricket in India is expected to offer telecast rights for the Champions Twenty20 tournament in which domestic clubs from various countries will battle it out for top honours this September.
NDTV Imagine, the entertainment wing of Prannoy Roy-promoted NDTV Network, is close to forming a 50:50 joint venture with Manmohan Shetty - the former promoter of Adlabs - to enter film production.
Commercials aired during the original show time will also be re-run without charging advertisers additional fee, said sources. In other words, an advertiser will get three times more air time on Star Plus for the same amount it had paid originally.
The battle for subscribers in the direct-to-home space is set to get hotter, with new player Big TV expected to fire a price war. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group's Big TV will be commercially launched sometime in May and is looking at tying up over 5 to 5.5 million subscribers even before its launch.
Bollywood's King of Romances Yash Chopra is flexing his muscle once again over revenue-sharing with theatre chains.
Vijay Mallya, whose team Royal Challengers will take on Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural match in Bangalore, has already got busy counting the cash.
The consortium of Sony Entertainment Television and World Sports Group, which paid BCCI $60 million (Rs 240 crore) as the telecast rights fee for the first season of the Twenty 20 league has already recovered its money. Sony-WSG will together earn around Rs 380 crore (Rs 3.8 billion) worldwide from the league. Sony is confident of selling 11,800 seconds across 59 matches, at a premium. Vodafone, Godrej, Hyundai, Coca-Cola & Max New York and StanChart has already booked spots.
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