The Hindu Business Line : Soon, music & movies at Reliance WebWorlds

RELIANCE WebWorld, the broadband browsing and retail phone centre, will soon introduce digital music and movies as value-adds to its bouquet. It has already tied up with some music companies to host music on its servers, Mr Dexter C. Bob, Head (Tamil Nadu Circle), Reliance WebWorld, has said.

With the high bandwidth offering, customers will be able to browse, sample and choose the music of their choice quickly. They can now download 12 songs on to a CD, which would cost anything between Rs 100 and Rs 120, instead of having to buy CDs for just one or two songs.

WebWorld, on its part, would ensure complete security and transparency. This would also benefit the music companies, which are being plagued by the menace of piracy, he said.

Mr Bob said WebWorlds bring "a worldclass experience in the information, communication and entertainment domain" to Indian consumers by offering a phone shop, broadband centre and a gourmet coffee shop all in one. High-speed gaming and the ambience within the stores have attracted a large number of kids and women, he said.

WebWorlds in Tamil Nadu register nearly 30,000 customers per week, while a large one, such as the one on Anna Salai in Chennai, attracts around 3,000 customers per week. WebWorlds have been opened in 10 towns in the State.

Mr Bob said video conferencing facility will be launched in the WebWorlds by the end of January. He said it would be possible to link 11 centres but the best option is for four centres.

The company also plans to build the coffee outlet within the format, Java Green, as a chain of gourmet coffee shops. At present, in Chennai, all the shops have a Java Green, with the flagship standalone outlet at Spencer Plaza.

Reliance's investment in WebWorld would range from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 80 lakh depending on the size of the shop. At present, 22 shops all over India are operational and are ready to be handed over to the franchisees. The end of March 2004 will see 250 WebWorlds in the top 100 cities, Mr Bob said.