Balaji Telefilms, Optymistix, Contiloe, Cinevistaas, Keylight Productions, Shakuntalam Telefilms and Rash Productions in race.
Large production houses like Balaji Telefilms Ltd and Cinevistaas Ltd will soon be competing to run prime-time programming on the national channel of state-owned broadcaster Doordarshan.For the upcoming auction of prime-time slots on DD National, as many as seven production houses have come forward in the application process as potential bidders.“We have received seven applications from some of the leading production houses of the country who will now bid on 18 and 19 July,” said a top official at Doordarshan, who is not authorised to speak to the media. The application process closed on 4 July.
The seven production houses include Balaji Telefilms, Optymistix Entertainment Pvt. Ltd which runs Comedy Nights Live (on Colors), Contiloe Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, Cinevistaas which has produced shows like Savdhaan India - India Fights Back (on Life Ok) and Dill Mill Gayye (on Star One), Keylight Productions, Shakuntalam Telefilms and Rash Productions Pvt. Ltd.Prasar Bharati, which runs Doordarshan, has received three applications for programming from 8-10pm (four half-hour slots) and four applications for the 7-11pmslot (eight half-hour slots).
Prasar Bharati had put up the time slots between 7pm and 11pm for all week days on auction, while keeping the 7-8 pm slot on Saturdays for its own content.“At first, we had internal discussions to push the deadline for submitting applications further, considering the low number of applicants. But we have bidders for all the slots and above all, these are the leading players in the industry,” the official said, adding that Prasar Bharati will go ahead with the e-auction process without any delay.The broadcaster will now be scrutinising these applications to check if the production houses fit the eligibility criteria to participate in the auction.
In a set of conditions laid out by Prasar Bharati, a production house will only be eligible to bid if it has logged revenue of at least Rs.5 crore per annum in each of the past three financial years and has produced at least 300 hours of Hindi general entertainment programming in the past two calendar years.Sanjay Dwivedi, group chief financial officer at Balaji Telefilms, which already runs the popular fiction show Pavitra Bandhan on DD National, said that the production house is very keen and excited about what Doordarshan is planning to do.“It’s one more opportunity for us and if it comes out well, it will be a good opportunity for the viewers and a good game for everyone,” he said, adding that Balaji Telefilms will come up with a concrete plan on programming after discussions with the public broadcaster.
Prasar Bharati in its 16 May board meeting had decided to auction the prime-time slots on DD National as an effort to revive the viewership of the channel and to compete with private Hindi general entertainment channels.“We decided to introduce fresh programming to get eyeballs back. Prasar Bharati needs to improve viewership to get up there among the general entertainment channels and to compete with private channels,” Prasar Bharati chairperson A. Surya Prakash had said. The broadcaster plans to roll out the new programming by October.
Source & Credit:http://www.livemint.com/Consumer/cSF7D6Ta3JtnM4DhvLinnJ/Seven-production-houses-to-bid-for-Doordarshans-primetime.html
Forwarded By: Jainender Nigam,PB NewsDesk ,prasarbharati.newsdesk@gmail.com