|
MUMBAI:
Colors is targeting a fourth-quarter break even and a revenue
of Rs 5 billion in the current fiscal, a source in Viacom18
says.
The
Viacom18 Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) will be
investing Rs 4.25 billion towards programming this fiscal
as it sets upon itself the task of consolidating its ratings,
stitching advertising deals at a fair premium, and mopping
up subscription revenue after it turned pay effective 1 April.
Colors
has entered into a three-year minimum guarantee deal with
Sony that, sources say, would ensure Rs 3 billion for the
Hindi GEC and the other Viacom18 channels MTV, Nick and VH1.
These four channels are being distributed by MSM (Multi Screen
Media is Sony Entertainment Television India’s new name)
Discovery under the TheOne Alliance bouquet.
The
year’s agenda also includes spreading the channel’s
wings and heading for the US, the Middle East and the UK.
“We
plan to launch the channel first in the US within 3-6 months.
We will then go to the Middle East before we land in the UK,”
says Colors CEO Rajesh Kamat, while refusing to talk about
any financials relating to the channel.
Colors
is central to the entertainment empire that Viacom and Raghav
Bahl-promoted Network18 Group are together building in India.
The nine-month-old channel recently edged out Star Plus to run
at the top of the GEC ladder for two consecutive weeks. |
