|
 Mobile entertainment, India: Bogart and Bacall? Great combinations are nothing new in films. But
what about - wait for it - a Bollywood film now showing at your local mobile?
Yes, 3GSM at Barcelona rolled out the red carpet as the world’s largest film industry
premiered the concept of Bollywood films downloaded onto a mobile device. No
autographs, no Oscar but DT offers you royal box coverage…
The world’s largest film industry is joining forces with
the global mobile communications world today in spectacular fashion: Bollywood
premiered its first feature films for mobile viewers at the 3GSM World Congress
in Barcelona. 3GSM marks the start of the adaptation of thousands of vibrant
Bollywood productions for the mobile screen - a development that could have a
huge impact on the global mobile entertainment market, already worth some US$23
billion.
Bollywood today is the world’s largest film industry,
producing more than 1,000 films a year with an audience of more than two
billion viewers across 127 countries. Formatting that content for the mobile
audience and ensuring simplicity of delivery and accessibility provide
staggering reach and revenue possibilities.
The Bollywood Mobile Initiative is driven by Roamware;
Hungama Mobile, believed to be the world’s largest aggregator, developer and
publisher of Indian entertainment and Bollywood content; Sanjay Gupta, a
leading Bollywood director; and the GSM Association (GSMA), the global trade
association for mobile operators.
It was appropriately two of Sanjay Gupta’s Bollywood short
films, Zahir and Matriomony, which were premiered in Barcelona. Both are
part of the feature film Dus Kahaniyaan (Ten Stories) produced by Mr Gupta’s
White Feather Films company and starring more than 20 leading Bollywood stars, e.g.,
Dia Mirza, Suneil Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Neha Mandira Bedi, and Aftab Shivdasani.
Sanjay Gupta’s hits include many hugely popular movies such as Kaante, Musafir
and Zinda.
Roamware’s Media Call technology will provide the
capability to integrate the cinematic content into the everyday mobile experience
for film fans.
The films demonstrate the “viral” potential for Bollywood
movies on the “fourth screen” – the mobile device. Set pieces with action and
dialogue scenes interspersed with song and dance make the vibrant, fast-moving
movies a compelling entertainment experience for the mobile viewer.
“The GSMA is delighted to welcome the stars and directors
from the Bollywood world to the world’s largest mobile event,” said Bill Gajda,
GSMA Chief Marketing Officer. “We are excited by the tremendous potential for
Bollywood entertainment on mobile phones, and are delighted to support the
efforts of Roamware and Hungama Mobile in their commitment to bringing a rich
array of Indian film entertainment to the fourth screen for a global audience
of millions.”
“India,” for Neeraj Roy, Managing Director & CEO, Hungama Mobile, “is
the fastest growing market in the mobile world, and the world’s fourth largest
market. It has the potential to be the largest market globally by 2010. It is
the most logical market from which to launch the mobile movie industry and
present a brand new avenue of cinematic entertainment for mobile users
everywhere. The potential is truly amazing.
“Hungama Mobile has already launched a Bollywood channel
directly on operator decks around the world in nearly 30 countries, with over
70 operators. This channel contains music, imagery, video and games from
Bollywood. Showcasing Bollywood movies on mobile is a natural extension both as
a tremendous new marketing opportunity as also revenue for all the
stakeholders.”
If the preparation for this marriage of content and
technology is anything to go by, then Bollywood and mobile will enjoy a happy
union. Hungama Mobile’s content has combined with a two-year foray in taking
Bollywood to the mobile world, coupled with Roamware’s global reach. Huge
promise beckons for the mobile market. The dramatic evolution of communications
technology, from download speeds and battery life to compact form factors,
screen sizes and resolution, as well as memory enhancements, means mobile
devices can now deliver a compelling, high quality and uniquely personal
viewing experience.
Bollywood is one of the fastest growing entertainment
industry segments and has an appeal not only for the 150 million mobile phone
users in India but for markets across all continents. Indian cinema is now dubbed
in over 35 languages and accounts for as much as 16.5% of theatrical business
in markets such as the UK. Indian films have made it into the top ten charts in markets such
as USA, UK, Germany, Australia, Singapore and South
Africa. More than
3.6 billion admission tickets are sold each year across the world. Now Hungama
Mobile and Roamware will take this to some 2.5 billion mobile screens. A night
at the cinema when you can leave your mobile on…
more info:
|
Date: 14-15 October 2008