(26 November 2005 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Zee Telefilms Ltd (ZTL) is digitising 50,000 hours of its programming as it plans to exploit the content across all the delivery platforms.

The company is also planning to launch mobisodes (mobisode is a brief episode of a video programme designed to be viewed on a mobile phone) based on its key properties. "We are seriously looking at launching mobisodes. We are identifying our key programming properties for this," says Zee Telefilms director Punit Goenka.

According to Goenka, the whole process of digitisation would be completed by the end of 2006. The total project cost, for which Zee has partnered with IBM, would be $5-6 million.

"We are digitising 50,000 hours of programming. This would help us to bring out our content on every digital platform available," says Goenka.

ZTL and IBM Global Services India Ltd. entered into an agreement this August, to develop end-to-end digital media asset management solution using technologies that will optimise the asset acquisition, development and broadcast playout.

The implementation will enable Zee to streamline and optimize the process involved in enterprise content management, deliver content to emerging mediums like IPTV, HDTV, video on mobile and video on demand. This will also help Zee reap the benefits of leveraging intellectual properties to earn additional revenues. ZTL has already released a mobile game based on its primetime thriller Time Bomb.

In India, Star and MTV have already launched mobisodes of their popular projects. While Star One has associated with Hutch to create mobisodes of the successful Star One comedy show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge (TGILC), MTV launched mobisodes of its brand new teen soap Pyaar Vyaar And All That this month.

Also read:

Zee to have digital media asset management

Star India debuts 'mobisodes' with Star One show

MTV's 'Pyaar Vyaar and all that' funda on mobisodes