Big screen turns to the small screen

Valsad:
28 November 2002

Valsad: When Zee Telefilms last month telecast "Legend of Bhagat Singh", which had been released in cinema halls across the country barely two months earlier, other entertainment channels decided to wait for the TRP ratings for October. When these were released, there was good news for Zee. After a long time, the channel had a programme that figured among the top 20 programmes watched across the country.

Entertainment channels have figured that telecasting new films makes extremely good economic sense. Now Star India, Sony TV and Sahara TV have joined Zee Network to bid for new films.

Zee itself has lined up 16 films for its first season of movie premieres to be shown every Thursday. Analysts say that Zee acquired the 16 films at a total cost of Rs 30-33 crore, which will bring in estimated revenues of about Rs 70 lakh.

Zee Telefilms, Star India, Sony TV and Sahara TV are said to be selling 30-second spots for a popular new film at the rate of Rs 4 lakh. With 8 or 9 sponsors per film, these channels can earn about Rs 2.4 crore in advertising. So, even if these channels pay Rs 2 crore for a popular film, they can make money on the first screening itself.

Hit films with top stars are being offered in the Rs 2-6 crore range, while other films are in the Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore range.

Moreover, television channels buy films for multiple screening, which ensures their profits even for the more expensive films.

The story on the side of distributors and producers is getting murkier by the day. When Zee announced its plans of acquiring new movies from producers, it triggered protests from distributors, who complained of being short-changed by producers desperate to recoup money from mega-movies that failed to make it at the box office. Targeting producers like Yash Chopra, they said he had violated a 1994 agreement barring the sale of telecast rights for five years after a film's release.

At the heart of the matter is the fact that almost every film released in the recent past has bombed. Whether it is Shakti - The Power, Gunaah, Road, The Legend of Bhagat Singh or Mujhse Dosti Karoge, the Hindi film industry has hardly seen any hits in the past one year. Trade analysts say the film industry has lost over Rs 650 crore (Rs 6.5 billion) in the last ten months alone.

Apurva Purohit, president, Zee Telefilms says producers are now looking at various avenues to maximise their revenues, whether through music rights, tapping international audiences or selling their cable and satellite rights.