Rumours have been rife for a few months now, but when the announcement came in on Wednesday evening, the industry went into a tizzy. The contours of the deal aren’t known yet, but let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the April 28 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. What does the fresh infusion of financial and intellectual capital (in Viacom18) by Uday Shankar and James Murdoch mean for Indian media?
A. As as a practitioner in media space I can only guess possible implications of this development. I can imagine that this infusion of investment will result in India’s dominant entertainment platform getting robust-se bhi robust-er and lead the way to a ‘streaming-first’ ( it has already become one of the so called new normals) approach for the entity. As Viacom18 owns and operates the suite of Colors TV channels and OTT platform, Voot, it’s a no- brainer.
I would also hasten to add that Reliance Jio is already a significant player in television, OTT, distribution, content creation. With this partnership, even Jio would get many symbiotic advantages.
Net-net, I am certain that this announcement of Bodhi Tree System would impart stratospheric Nirvana to Viacom 18. And can one imagine the impact proportion of the powerhouse when Messrs Mukesh Ambani, Uday Shankar and James Murdoch join hands?! I can’t of course. But as a consumer, I am delighted. The M&E industry might have to revisit Darwinian advice seriously.
May I add that we could well see in Viacom18 the rise of a new star. No pun intended.