UK market changes for Indian broadcasters

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UK market changes for Indian broadcasters, BSkyB launches Asian add-on pack for first time

MUMBAI: For Indian broadcasters, the UK market is changing fast. For the first time, UK’s leading pay TV operator BSkyB has launched an Asian TV add-on pack, Sky Asia, for £15 per month

The new pack contains channels including Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Punjabi, Sony Entertainment Television, Sony MAX, B4U Movies and ARY Digital. Star Plus is in the base pack while Colors and Rishtey are free-to-air. Consequently, Zee Network pack and Sony Entertainment-owned ViewAsia pack will cease to exist in a phased manner.

Star Plus, the leader in Asian content, is already in the base pack of BSkyB (21st Century Fox, 100 per cent owner of Star India, owns 39.1 per cent stake in BSkyB), while two other popular channels—Rishtey and Colors—are free to air.

BSkyB allows channels to either retail for them (like ViewAsia), or it does it for the channels, which it is going to do now in case of new Asian packs.

The third option is going FTA. Viacom18’s flagship channel Colors had launched as a part of ViewAsia pack but later after tasting success with FTA channel Rishtey, the company decided to make Colors also FTA. Both will remain and the company has no intention to make them a part of new pack.

We are happy with the wide reach of our FTA channels. In the UK, among the Asian channels, Rishtey is No. 2, followed by Colors. We have seen great success with these and don’t find any reason to go for pay pack,” IndiaCast COO Gaurav Gandhi told TelevisionPost.com. It is learnt that BSkyB is in talks with more Asian channels to be part of the new pack. Interestingly, industry observers say that BSkyB has never offered a whole package to Asian channels.

A broadcaster, who recently exited from the UK market, told on condition of anonymity that either the Asian channels will have to go FTA or be a part of one strong bouquet. “If viewers are getting three top channels, they won’t separately subscribe to one Zee and one Sony package. Hence, this was inevitable,” he said.


UK market changes for Indian broadcasters, BSkyB launches Asian add-on pack for first time | TelevisionPost.com
 
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