DTH is the way to go for Budget films in the future..

Yesterday I read in a paper that India shall have 6 million DTH subscribers by October 2010. Good. That set me thinking.

What would it do to the floundering revenues of films in India. A country where filmed entertainment has been ravaged by piracy. These days, to get a body into a multiplex auditorium it costs an amount to make a film and near about that amount to market it, all for the first three days, beyond which the pirated discs are out and the hinterland happily buys the Rs. 30 disc to partake in the entertainment, quality be damned!

DTH shall have 6 million subscribers. So, there is opportunity for this. Read on:

1. Make a movie for 3 crores at best.
2. Promotion is just digital as practically all subscribers shall visit the net or his TV screen or some such digital medium.
3. Make Lease transactions with all the DTH companies for a short term Lease.
4. Release it on DTH platforms along with a few choice theaters thereby calling it 'class' entertainment.
5. Even if 5% of the DTH Subscribers see it in the first two weeks, the revenues could be -

6000000 * 5% = 300000
300000 * Rs. 100 (average ticket per download) = Rs. 30 million

The money spent on the film production is already recovered. So, a producer can make profits if he just puts in a bit more effort in Marketing his content, acquires a good story and gets a good director to work wonders with the story. The stakes are low and so he can work this story without the necessary stars that populate our tinsel world.

We shall be spared "Kambhakht Ishqs" and "Blue" films!!

We may even get to see gritty subjects, made by good directors with a neat cast who can "act", not tire us with noddy mannerisms that pass off as acting.

Also, digital content cannot be copied so easily and so we may not see pirated discs. Also, pirated stuff are usually of the "star" subjects and not these low budget ones we are talking about here. So, no harm done!

Better technical personnel will get their due through this alternative medium. Indian masses are most happy when served good entertainment at home, through room service. So, no harm there too!

A safe idea, ain't it!

Life on the Leasing Path!

It has been a long time that I have attended to my blog. So, here I am, back again to do as good a job as I can.

Many things have happened over the past few months. There has been a shift in my Job Description in the past month. I am now in Leasing and Sales. In a way, this is my first direct Sales job ever in life. Usually, people go the other way. They first do Sales, then Marketing or Strategy and then arrive at General Management. I moved from Operations to General Management to Projects and now am in Sales. Well, that's how it is. Go with the flow, as they say!

But, Leasing, in my belief (and I should be right about this) is a different ball game from plain Jane Sales. One has to create an ever lasting relationship that goes way beyond just a Sale. Some Realty agents or Salesmen in US operate on a different scale. They schmooze at a very high level, keep excellent relationships, keep track of executive movements in the professional world, in fact sometimes have a whole office who advise them as to when to go in for the kill!

In India, we do not do such stuff as our relationships are easily formed and kept. Over smaller achievements, answers and smiles. But, we are not able to articulate what is on our mind so easily. I believe that our culture does not provide for that. We just have to carry along with this. I am grateful to Baba that he taught us the art of positive speaking so early in life. I always believe that if I get into a room with other people, they shall be convinced at the end of the session, no matter what the subject is about!

But, Leasing has another thing to it. Follow Up. Rigorous. This is where most of my mates are stumped. This is where I need to test my mettle.

More stories as I motor along this highway. Sayonara.