The Hindu Business Line : Essel, Intel tie up to offer digital content

Essel Group today announced that it has set up a company, Digital Media Convergence Ltd (DMCL), in collaboration with Intel Corp to offer digital content in India. However, it is not clear if there is equity participation from Intel.

Mr Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Essel Group, said that the group had signed an agreement with Intel on Wednesday for a strategic alliance.

DMCL will acquire, digitise and provide content on various platforms. "It will not only aggregate and digitise content for Zee Network but other broadcasters in India as well," Mr Chandra said at FICCI-Frames 2006.

DMCL and Intel will offer digital content over the Intel `Viiv' platform in India.

This could include special interest content sourced outside India, as well as Bollywood content for use in India and outside.

Essel Group believes that the entertainment industry is firmly moving into the digital era. "This is the beginning of the end of television, the way we knew it," Mr Chandra said. Television came of age in the 1950s. Between then and now consumers have been passive viewers. That's going to change, Mr Chandra said.

"In the digital age, viewers will not only demand content but will also decide at what time and where they want it," Mr Chandra said adding that the entire broadcast industry would confront further complexities in its business.

"As a result of the complexities, we are going to stop buying films the way it has been done... It will no longer be a buyer-seller relationship but a partnership," Mr Chandra said.

In August 2005, Zee Telefilms Ltd had announced an agreement with IBM Global Services India Ltd to develop end-to-end digital media asset management solutions. It meant digitising 50,000 hours of programming and 1,500 films.

The estimated cost, including digitisation of existing assets, was $7 million.

Mr Chandra said that in the new digital age, broadcasters would have to segment content creation to enable personalised content delivery. "The industry will have to do innovative work in terms of pricing, window of release, tailoring to individual needs, experiment with new ideas, seamlessly deliver content through any platform and constantly prepare for the future," he said.

More Stories on : Alliances & Joint Ventures | Convergence | Radio/TV

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