Source: HT
Date: October 17, 2011
Hrithik Roshan's upcoming biggie beats SRK's RA.One and Aamir Khan's Dhuan at satellite rights game Hrithik Roshan has finally beaten the Khans in the movie rat race. According to trade insiders, Zee Network has apparently bought the satellite rights for his upcoming Agneepath for a whopping R 41 crore, which could be a new record. The transaction beats what Sony Entertainment supposedly paid for Aamir Khan-Kareena Kapoor's tentatively titled cop caper Dhuan (R 38-40 crore), and has also outclassed Star Network's reported R 35 crore bet on this year's Diwali release, RA.One. Jayantilal Gada, CMD, Pen India Pvt Ltd, the agency that aids the purchase of films for Zee Cinema, justifies a hefty price tag, saying that channels study the production banner's track record on the small screen before pitching to buy satellite rights. “We chose to buy Agneepath over several other biggies because Karan's (producer Karan Johar of Dharma Productions) movies have always delivered great numbers. And the promo of this film showed promise,“ he adds. Without commenting on the figures, tradesmith Amod Mehra says, “There are only a handful of leading satellite channels in the market. Likewise, there are only four or five really bankable stars, and not more than 10 big films a year. Zee has shelled out the money for Agneepath to break the pattern of Karan's films going to either Star or Sony, and to strengthen their market position.“
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Source: Mumbai Mirror
Date: October 17, 2011
Karan Johar has a reason to be happy. His forthcoming film Agneepath has fetched a satellite price of Rs 41 crore, the highest ever in the history of Bollywood. A source told Mumbai Mirror "Agneepath is hot property in the industry today. The promos have got great response. Everybody is looking forward to seeing Hrithik Roshan playing the legendary Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, the role that Amitabh Bachchan did in the original. That's the reason the channel did not hesitate in shelling out Rs 41 crore. Even Aamir Khan's film with Reema Kagti and SRK's RA.One have fetched lesser money than Agneepath." When contacted, Jayantilal Gada of Pen India, the agency for the channel, said, "Yes we have bought the film at a huge price but I can't speak about the economics in print. We had a couple of options but we went for Agneepath because we firmly believe that all of Hrithik's films except Lakshya have done tremendous business on satellite. The promos of Agneepath are a rage right now and that's why we put our bets on this film."
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Source: TOI
Date: October 17, 2011
By: Bharati Dubey
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshanstarrer ‘Agneepath’ is up for release in 2012, but it has already recovered close to 60% of its production cost by way of satellite rights. Sources confirm that the movie has been sold to a television channel for a staggering Rs 41 crore. “We have acquired satellite rights of ‘Agneepath’ but cannot disclose terms of the deal,” Jayantilal Gada, CMD of Pen India, the agency that acquires satellite rights for Zee Cinema, said. The trend of selling the satellite rights of a film much before release may not be new but the money involved in buying blockbuster titles has gone up by about 200%, says independent distributor and trade analyst Suniel Wadhwa. “Every two years, the prices go up based on the scale and the banner of the movie, along with its production cost,” Wadhwa explains. Aamir Khan’s ‘Dhuan’, also slated for a 2012 release, has been sold for Rs 40 crore. Satellite channels are acquiring films as and when they are being announced and parking titles with themselves in advance. Rights are acquired either from studios or independent producers.
Earlier, a five-year term was the norm but now this can extend between seven to 12 years, depending on the film. All recent titles sold to TV channels have alockin for seven years, with the exception of ‘Double Dhamaal’, ‘Singham’ and ‘Bodyguard’, which were sold for five years only. “Aggressive negotiation takes place for internet, wireless and video-on-demand rights,” says an industry source, adding that big upcoming titles are either being negotiated or have been sold. “In most cases, satellite prices make up for about 40% of the total cost of making the film,” says the source. Ajay Devgan’s blockbuster ‘Singham’ managed a TRP of 8 on its first TV telecast. “Traditionally, action, family and children’s films get good TRPs,” says Gada. Broadcasters are willing to offer Salman Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ even more than what ‘Agneepath’ has fetched for its producers. “Acquisition costs have become unrealistic and unsustainable,” says Wadhwa. It’s a win-win situation for the producers, though. Satellite rights of a film that did average (‘Bbuddah Hoga Tera Baap’) or below average (‘Rascals’) business would have cost channels Rs 14-20 crore. Even films like ‘Hum Tum Shabana’ and ‘My Friend Pinto’ have sold for between Rs 5-7 crore.