Wait loss

The biggest beneficiaries of this quick transition from the big screen to the small,of course,are the viewers. Granted,the experience of watching certain movies like Harry Potter or The Dark Knight on the big screen can never be replicated on the more intimate television screen. But there are certain advantages—you don’t pay an exorbitant ticket price to watch a movie you might end up hating and you can switch to something else or even walk out of the room without annoying fellow viewers.

This is a win-win situation for all the parties involved. Colors has telecast movies like Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab

Kahani and Kurbaan,while Sony Pix will be airing the Michael Jackson documentary This Is It in June. Colors programming head,Ashwini Yardi,states,“Airing new and blockbuster films a few months after their official release generates immediate response.”

According to Yardi,it also does not matter whether the film did well at the box office or not. She explains,“Airing movies on a general entertainment channel offers a wider reach and opportunity for viewers to watch movies that they may have missed.”

From a producer’s perspective too,the sooner a movie goes on TV,the better. Amrita Pandey,V-P international distribution and syndication,UTV Motion Pictures,says,“Many films don’t last long at the cinema halls. As producers,we’ve put in a lot to market these movies and so it makes a lot of financial sense for us to maximise the benefits of the TV platform.”

Obviously,the question of when a particular movie will go on air depends on its content. “There is no definite formula one can follow to make such a decision,and neither do all movies end up on TV in the three to six month window period. But yes,there’s definitely a trend towards minimising the time between a movie’s theatrical release and its TV premiere,” says Pandey.

Getting the right price is also an important factor in deciding whether a movie will go on air. Sneha Rajani,executive V-P and business head of Set Max,says,“While Sony had started the trend of acquiring movies early,we’re being cautious now. Sometimes the asking price is just too high and it makes no sense for channels to make those deals.” Right now,Sony is airing only Yashraj movies like Dil Bole Hadippa and Pyaar Impossible,due to its tie-up with Yash Raj Films.

One important benefit of telecasting movies soon after they release is that it can curb piracy. Sameer Rao,general manager of Star Gold,explains,“Unauthorised versions of new movies are available in the market far before even the new,shortened satellite windows. However,it is hoped that over a period of time,a combination of

administrative measures as well as short windows will make a sizeable dent in piracy.”

But is there a space for old classics? Most channels are focusing more on getting the latest movies to screens and there is hardly any channel which prioritises classic movies. Shruti Bajpai,country manager,HBO Asia,admits that in the recent past the channel has consciously veered away from screening old content. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have an audience. HBO’s Enter the Dragon still gets as much viewership as more recent movies like Kung Fu Panda. Sunder Aaron,business head of Sony Pix,says,“While the audience is obviously eager to watch new releases,we’ve got extremely high ratings for movies like Gandhi and Mackenna’s Gold. Audience response depends a lot on how well the publicity is done.”