Eros International has teamed up with Google’s YouTube to offer an official Bollywood channel to allow users to see many different videos from their catalogue of 1300 films. The new channel will offer movie trailers, music videos as well exclusive film premiers and star interviews. Some of the trailers available now are Provoked, Namastey London and Cheeni Kum. The channel will be showcased on YouTube’s “Partner Channels” and is online now at www.youtube.com/erosentertainment
Eros International chairman and CEO Kishore Lulla said, “We are really excited about this initiative since we believe in empowering the consumers with the ability to watch what they want, when they want and how they want. The partnership with YouTube allows us to not only promote our content but also monetize it through advertising revenues. Legal online distribution of compelling content is an integral part of our new media strategy.” They fully expect the YouTube channel to generate at least 30 million viewings in its first six months.
Eros is leading the industry in making Indian films more accessible to the people in exciting and new ways. Besides their own video-on-demand site B-On-Demand and the new channel with YouTube they have also struck a deal with Liberty Media Corporation’s wholly-owned subsidiary OnCommand Video Corporation. This deal will allow hotel chains across the US to offer films from their catalog for video-on- demand services. They also have deals with several cable companies in the US for subscription video-on-demand channels and are looking to expand that as well.
But they do not want to stop there Eros International chief operating officer and commercial director Jyoti Deshpande said that they are looking into partnering with other websites and launching several other channels on the web. They are also are thinking of having web premiers for select films that won’t have a wide theatrical release.
One other area that they have started development in is short-form content for mobile phones. Eros has a mobile deal with India Mauj and is working with various companies around the world to provide and develop video clips and other content for cell phones.
We applaud Eros International and its initiative! We will certainly be checking out the new channel and looking forward to all the things to come!
