MxMIndia

Tag: Salman Khan

  • The satellite rights for the movie have been snapped up by Star Network for a record Rs48-50 crore for 11 years

    Salman Khan sets a Rs50cr record by selling satellite rights for Dabangg sequel

    By Nandini Raghavendra

     

    If you have been wondering whatever happened to Chulbul Pandey, news is that the Dabangg star – Salman Khan – will be back this Christmas in a sequel of the 2010 hit. And even before Khan begins shooting for Dabangg2 next week in Mumbai, the satellite rights for the movie have been snapped up by Star Network for a record Rs 48-50 crore for 11 years, according to a trade source closely associated with the deal. Also the music rights have been acquired by T-Series for over Rs 10 crore, said the same source.

     

    Though Hemal Jhaveri, senior vice-president at Star Gold confirmed the deal, he refused to share the details of the deal or the price. Jhaveri is responsible for acquiring the satellite rights for Star’s Hindi network, which includes Star Plus, Star Gold and Life OK.

     

    Just like his box office record, Khan’s satellite ratings have been trailblazing. Bodyguard, another of Khan’s blockbusters, registered a record television rating points (TRP) of 10.3 when it was aired on Star Gold in December 2011. The channel expects nothing less, if not more from Dabangg2, said Jhaveri.

     

    TRP, given in percentages, is a measure of what percentage of people in a defined time band and a defined profile watched a particular programme, a number which is keenly followed by the advertising industry and ads allocated accordingly to the one garnering the higher numbers.

     

    A film is considered a success on TV if it can manage to garner an average 2.5 TRP through the year, apart from the high number it garners on premieres. For example, the ICC Cricket World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka last year garnered a TRP of 21 (on three channels – Star Sports, Star Cricket and Doordarshan).

     

    Over the past few years, satellite prices have been playing a key role in bank-rolling films with at least a third of the movie’s cost of production coming from selling these rights prior to even beginning production.

     

    A Win-Win Situation for Channel

    It is also a win-win scenario for the channel, which generates both eyeballs and revenues by exclusively broadcasting a successful movie over a number of years. Competition among TV companies wanting to acquire the rights of hit movies has, as a result, led to an increase in the acquisition price of many recent big films.

     

    Hrithik Roshan’s Krissh3 and the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don2 was said to have been sold to Sony for Rs37 crore each, while Aamir Khan’s Talaash and Karan Johar’s Agneepath went for Rs40 crore.

     

    Channels usually spend an average of Rs 200-300 crore a year to acquire film titles for their library. “Increase in satellite prices for big-ticket films has a direct linkage to maximising gross rating points (GRPs), for the channels,” said Rakesh Jariwala, film segment leader, Ernst & Young.

     

    Movies contribute as high as 30 per cent to a channel’s GRPs. The channels also generate revenue from syndication and overseas subscriptions for the films they buy.

     

    Over the past two years, it’s been a close race between Star and Sony, with each raising the stakes with every new film. For Star, with films like Bol Bachchan, Son of Sardar, Ghayal Returns and Housefull 2 all snapped up, the slate for this year looks full while Sony has Aamir Khan’s Talaash and YRF’s Ek Tha Tiger among others.

     

    “We have built on the content game and we are confident of the returns as well as its ability to garner TRPs beyond the premiere,” added Mr Jhaveri. While Dabangg, produced by Arbaaz Khan Productions, was acquired by Ashtavinayak Cinevision, the sequel has so far not been sold to any corporate house, although almost every film corporate, including Hollywood studios in India, have been very eager to have it on their slate. Prices offered have ranged between Rs100 crore and Rs130 crore, though industry sources say in all likelihood the brothers will release the film themselves, after the success of Johar’s Agneepath.

     

    Star Network’s recent track record with Bodyguard, Singham and Ra.One, all notching up record TRPs, has also worked hugely in its favour. And with Star also holding a strong portfolio of Salman Khan’s films – Dabangg, Wanted, Ready, Bodyguard, Tere Naam, Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya- for 7-8 years, backing a Khan package may help garner more eyeballs.

     

    Source: The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2012, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • While I understand the show needs crazy and edgy contestants to keep the fights going (and therefore the ratings), do all of them have to be loonies?

    Anil Thakraney: The Bigg Boss Diary

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Chances are, if I wasn’t hired to write a blog on media and advertising, I would have given Bigg Boss a quiet miss. Watching fishmarket fights right before dozing off isn’t really my idea of fun. But watch I did, now and then, and now that the show is done and dusted, some observations.

     

    I have to grudgingly admit that the show is a success in India. Viewership ratings have been climbing every season, and the fifth season opened with a very healthy 4.3. It later fell a bit and hovered around 2, but even that’s not bad for a 10.30 PM reality show. Of course, the grand finale must have recorded a much higher figure. Another indicator of its popularity is the media’s huge interest in the show. Hindi news channels kept a faithful coverage going (they went near orgasmic when the final results were announced) and the show has been a hot topic of discussion on Twitter as well. Much as I hate to admit is, Bigg Boss is here to stay.

     

    It was quite clear Salman Khan was calling many shots on the show, and was playing way beyond the designated role of an anchor. I would not be surprised if he had a part to play in the elimination rounds, and this makes me wonder. Is the channel not able to stand up to a top actor? Or, is Sallubhai planning to pick up stake in the network? Contestant Pooja Bedi’s absence at the finale raised many eyebrows. She had been tweeting about Salman and Mahak Chahal’s (another contestant) good ‘friendship’.

     

    Sanjay Dutt does not fit into this format at all. A crashing bore. Hope we won’t have to suffer him in the next season. There’s already enough grief coming from the insane inmates.

     

    While I understand the show needs crazy and edgy contestants to keep the fights going (and therefore the ratings), do all of them have to be loonies? Does it not make sense to invite at least a few intelligent people on the show to provide some balance? That way, in between ugly confrontations, we viewers can be rewarded with a few meaningful conversations. Surely that would boost TRPs a bit. Something for Colors to think about for the next season. Even a mental asylum has doctors and nurses.

     

    I failed to see the need for a porn star if she cannot strip on the show. What’s the use of burning so much money on a contestant who cannot do on a family channel that which she knows best? Also, the very burnt-out Shakti Kapoor was a terrible idea, a disaster. And Swami Agnivesh?? Makes you wonder if someone is thinking clearly on the casting.

     

    Finally, can we please be told how many people voted to keep a contestant in the house? Can we have some numbers please? Can we have some transparency please? So that the frequent charges of rigging can be diluted to a certain extent?

     

    ***

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7av4zOpUSk[/youtube]

    PS: England and Chelsea football captain John Terry has threatened the Indian government with legal action. A photograph of the footballer has been cleared for use on an Indian ciggie brand. Well, hope he does file charges and seek compensation. The government makes too much dosh on excise duty in this product category, and smokers will be happy if some of that goes to a footballer.

     

  • I really have a bad feeling about the so-called India’s most expensive film Ra One, and its debacle will hurt the SRK brand considerably.

    Anil Thakraney: Brand SRK needs help

    Celebrities are brands. And just like detergents, condoms, noodles and cars, they need to build and nurture their brand image. Because that’s what ultimately decides their performance in the market place. People like to be associated with desirable brands. And that’s also the reason advertisers like to associate their brands with celebs. To have the values of the celeb brand rub off on their own brands.

     

    When I examine how Shahrukh Khan has been going about building his own brand of late, it kind of confuses me. Clearly the actor isn’t really thinking out here. Let’s first study his movie brand. Instead of competing with Aamir Khan, and experimenting with new forms of cinema, he seems to have made it a mission to target Salman Khan. Perhaps in reaction to the success the latter has enjoyed with his recent mindless action films. SRK is now taking his brand into the ‘Mine is bigger than yours’ space. Completely ignoring his own core brand strengths, which is the soft, vulnerable, caring, sensitive, romantic persona… the image that endears him to his fans… and is now trying to compete with a macho star on values alien to him. I really have a bad feeling about the so-called India’s most expensive film Ra One, and its debacle will hurt the SRK brand considerably.

     

    Next, his choice of brand endorsements and his performances in them. You’ll notice glaring fault lines here too. Not only is there no attempt at being discerning, which once again Aamir Khan is, SRK agrees to endorse just about anything that comes his way, and acts the same in every commercial, convinced the buyers will buy into whatever nonsense he does on the screen. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to watch him in ads for Hyundai i10, Linc Pens, Videocon and many others. There’s another cringeful ad he’s done with wife Gauri (it’s so silly, can’t even recall the brand name). Guess baniyan and chaddi brands are next up. If this continues, and his movie career stagnates, SRK will find the going quite difficult.

     

    Celebs, like all brands, must fiercely guard their value. So that it remains powerful, relevant and enduring. The hit-and-run approach won’t work. Guess SRK badly needs a brand manager.

     

    ***

     

    PS: Watch this brilliant ad from Pro Infirmis, a Swiss organization that supports handicapped people. THIS is the way to use emotion in advertising. A big hug for the creator of this advert.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”300″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFWr-CKMWGY[/youtube]