(29 May 2009 4:40 pm)

MUMBAI: Moser Baer India Ltd. is foraying into the sports genre and will be selling DVDs of the Manchester United matches in the 2007/08 season.

The Mumbai-based company, which already has a significant presence in the optical media storage market, has acquired the distribution and selling rights from Total Sports Asia (TSA) for the Indian territory.

The deal also extends to future content that TSA wants to distribute in India. "This is just the beginning. As and when TSA gets new content, we will be distributing them in India," says Moser Baer Entertainment CEO Harish Dayani.

Moser Baer is already into various content genres like films, television, education, tourism, children and devotional.

The company, used to addressing the mass market with low-priced DVDs, will sell its sports DVDs at a premium. "We are planning to price the Manchester United DVDs at Rs 200. The market for this stuff is pretty significant, but restricted to big cities. We hope to sell around 25,000 copies," avers Dayani.

The DVDs are part of the official merchandise of the club and are released during the end of every season. The three titles - Official Manchester United End of Season Review 2007/08, 2008 UEFA Champions League Final and Manchester United's Road to Moscow - would be available for the Indian market through Moser Baer at existing retail sales points and exclusive outlets across the country.

TSA believes this deal would mark the beginning of a series of acquisitions that the company plans to undertake.

"We're exploring the trends in a constantly changing sports and entertainment market and are hoping to structure innovative ways to bring sports to consumers. With around 20 million fans in India, Manchester United is by far the most followed football club in the country," says TSA subcontinent MD Suvrangsu Mukherjee.

TSA will be utilising Moser Baer's vast distribution network to push its sports DVDs.

"We're happy to partner with Moser Baer and with their extensive distribution network football fans from across the country would be able to enjoy these DVDs. The official DVDs give fans a chance to take home a piece of memorabilia and relive the winning moments for the rest of their lives," adds Mukherjee.