While Eros International mulls launching a new Hindi movie channel, ZEEL shuts down two channels

Eros International, the Indian motion picture production and distribution company plans to launch a new Hindi movie channel, according to reports. The move comes after the company’s content deal with HBO Hits and HBO Defined had ended.

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Elucidating the competition between top players in the Hindi movie space, between Zee Cinema, Star Gold and Sony Max, Jyoti Deshpande, Chief Executive Officer, Eros international Group said that their strategy would be different when compared to the existing players. “We will be more aggressive in shortening the window between a theatrical release and the TV premiere of a film. We will then syndicate the movies to other channels, which are currently earning by syndicating our titles,” she said.

Apart from the top three players, Hindi movie space is also experiencing fierce competition from players like Movies OK (Star India), &Pictures (ZEEL), Max2 (MSM), UTV Movies, and UTV Action. Besides, there are B4U Movies, Filmy (Sahara), Zee Classic, Zee Action, Cinema TV, Enter10, etc. The channels run by Multi-system operators (MSO) and cable channels add up to this array.

In a financial daily Mint, Eros had earlier announced plans to game in the technology sector by acquiring start-ups. It had also said that they would increase the number of movies produced to 125, instead of the current 60-70 range. However, Deshpande clarified those as mere future plans, which are uncertain of their execution.

Meanwhile, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) had planned to shut down two channels, 9X and Zee Premiere from 13^th and 15^th April respectively. Instead, the company will launch ‘Zee Café HD’ targeting the urban viewers.