Reliance Broadcast in JV with CBS Studios for TV channels in India

Reliance Broadcast Network Limited (RBNL), a part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), and CBS Studios International, a division of CBS Corporation, today announced a joint venture that will initially see the creation of three new English entertainemnt television channels.

The joint venture company, to be called Big CBS Networks Pvt. Ltd., will be a limited liability company incorporated in India. CBS and RBNL, through its subsidiary, will each have a 50 per cent equity interest in the venture.

The announcement about the joint venture was made by Mr Tarun Katial, CEO of RBNL, and Mr Armando Nunez, President, CBS Studios International.

The three new channels will allow for programming rights in India, one of the world's fastest growing television markets, and across the Indian sub-continent.

According to a press release issued by the two companies, the channels will be customised for the Indian market and will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2010, offering audiences access to new and current CBS progrmames, including some of the most popular programmes in the world.

It said the channels would be made available across a network of digital and analog distribution platforms. They will also be offered to audiences across the Indian sub-continent covering India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Pakistan.

The themed channels will be targeted at India's fast-growing, upwardly mobile population and will be branded Big CBS Prime, a premium English general entertainment channel, Big CBS Spark, India’s first English youth channel and Big CBS Love, India’s first ever women's English entertainment channel.

Anil Ambani

The partners felt the joint venture had exciting prospects, given RBNL's multi-media presence and an integrated sales offering, combined with the content and media muscle of CBS.

In this context, they said there were considerable synergies across Reliance ADAG platforms which include distribution foray through Big TV and Reliance Digicable, TV production through Big Synergy and Big Productions and filmed content through Big Pictures, international partnerships with DreamWorks and the group’s many advertising and promotional platforms.

The CBS content to be offered by the channels will include new series such as "Hawaii Five-0," "The Defenders" and "Blue Bloods," and current hits such as "NCIS," "Survivor," "CSI," "90210," "America’s Next Top Model" and "Entertainment Tonight."

The channels will also draw from 70,000 hours of content from CBS's programme library, including the original "Melrose Place," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Frasier," "Everybody Loves Raymond," and "Charmed".

In addition, the venture will also acquire content from third party suppliers and will consider producing original English language programming for the channels, in the future.

"This is truly a landmark moment not just for us but the entire Reliance ADA Group, with our first step into the television broadcasting space," Mr Katial said.

"We see great opportunity in the Indian television industry which projects high growth rate, and we are confident that our deep understanding of the Indian consumer’s entertainment requirement and advertiser needs, coupled with CBS’ reputation for creating superior content, will offer unmatched and pioneering entertainment to audiences in India and across the Indian subcontinent," he said.

Mr Nunez said that, as an international media and entertainment powerhosue, Reliance ADAG was the perfect partner for CBS to expand further into India.

"The vast programming, production and media resources of our two companies position us extremely well to serve audience, advertisers and all constituents of these new channels. This is an exciting alliance with potential for amazing synergies and new opportunities for our companies in one of the world’s most dynamic business and media markets," he said.

According to the release, the Rs 265.5 billion burgeoning Indian television market is estimated to have 134 million homes with televisions, of which 103 million have access to cable or satellite television, including DTH. India is poised to become the world's largest direct-to-home satellite pay TV market by 2012, overtaking the U.S. with a projected 35 million subscribers.

While Big CBS will initially focus on the English language general entertainment channels, the joint venture may also explore the option of launching Hindi and regional language general entertainment channels along with other possible projects in the future.

NNN