Balaji Telefilms, the production house owned by Ektaa and Shoba Kapoor, has interests in television content, movies and merchandise. In an interview with BusinessLine , Sameer Nair, Group CEO, identifies some key growth areas for the firm.

Where is the television space headed for?

Television viewership is growing and the business is good. We are getting lot more shows across channels. So, there is a purple patch. The fiction part of the show is doing well, but non-fiction and high concept shows are also doing well. The ‘saas-bahu’ serials will continue all the way. Daily soap family drama, targeting women, is a good theme globally and is a genre by itself. That will be the staple of television content. Indian audiences have also got used to the daily format. Currently, GEC is a genre that one size fits all.

You are also looking at entering the American televisions. How far has that progressed?

From a content creating format, we are always looking for a new format. We did enter the American television series space and have signed a production deal for the American television series Brown Nation , with Indus Media. It is an English language series. It is creating content for an international audience. The revenue from this will be based on American model which is based on seasons.

Movies seem to be a big area of opportunity for you. How good is your pipeline of movies?

We have been producing movies since the last six or seven years. Movies like Dirty Pictures , Ragini MMS have all been produced by us. We have invested in movies from ₹5 crore to ₹60 crore. It really depends on script and casts. The movie business will become a big part of our life due to growth of media, mobiles and big screens. We will bring about six movies this year. We have 15-20 movies in various stages of production.

What about exclusively launching movies online?

Indian market hasn’t evolved yet to that point. The biggest player that is doing is Netflix. We are still far away from that, but we may see it happen in couple of years. There is a huge opportunity waiting to be tapped.

You have had several partnerships with Indus Media, Chayyabani, etc. What exactly are they for?

It is all for strengthening the DNA of the brand. All this has been done in the spirit of collaboration. Chayyabani will be making regional contents. We have a joint venture for LLP media.

How important is the regional market for you?

We were quite strong in the regional market a couple of years back, but went on a slow footing. Now, we want to work with partners in each of the regional markets and build it. South is a robust market, Marathi and Bengali are also growing.

Of all the three areas of movies, television and digital, which one will draw maximum investment?

Consolidating our existing television business is the key; movie is also growing as is the digital business. Television is not a cash burn area. We are doing all kinds of concepts like fiction, non-fiction and high concepts. In the movies business, we co-produce, produce and even collaborate. Digital will be a slow burn. It will be currently in the box.

Is merchandise also an area of opportunity?

Merchandise is an outcome of a brand. We will be launching our fashion label EK shortly to tap into the merchandising opportunities. Initially, the label will be available on Best Deal TV, BTL’s exclusive television partner to merchandise the brand. BTL is also in the process of associating with an online partner to further grow the brand.

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