Hindi
UTV syndicates movies to Middle East channels
MUMBAI: UTV has signed movie syndication deals with four Middle East channels – MBC, Infinity TV, Kuwait TV and Abu Dhabi TV.
UTV will be exploiting new revenues from its 10 movies, which are to be dubbed in Arabic, over a period of 18 months. The deals vary with the different broadcasters, ranging between 12-to 18 months, with limited airing rights.
MBC, the free to air satellite channel, will telecast four UTV movies – Chance Pe Dance, What’s Your Raashee, Wake Up Sid and Main Aurr Mrs Khanna.
The other three channels, Infinity TV, Abu Dhabi TV and Kuwait TV, will telecast the old lot of six UTV movies – Fashion, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Jodhaa Akbar, Race, Kaminey and Kismat Konnection on their networks.
UTV had first signed the deal with MBC two years back and aired the dubbed version of Jodhaa Akbar in the Middle East, sensing the demand for this kind of content will pick up.
UTV VP international distribution and syndication Amrita Pandey said, “We’re happy with our continued association with MBC on our content since two years. We look forward to our movies airing on channels like Abu Dhabhi TV, Infinity TV and Kuwait TV that widen our audience in Middle East and North Africa Region.”
MBC is the leading free-to-air, pan-Arab, news and entertainment channel in the Middle East. Satellite transmission for MBC first started from London in September 1991, making MBC the first independent Arabic satellite TV station.
Abu Dhabi TV is an Arabic television station owned and managed by the United Arab Emirates‘ largest media group, Abu Dhabi Media Company.
Infinity TV, launched in October 2004, offers entertaining and educational programmes that appeal to members of the whole family. Infinity broadcasts movies, musicals, sitcoms, children shows.
Earlier, UTV had syndicated these movies to Colors, NDTV Imagine, B4U (international) and Channel 4 (UK).
Hindi
Hansa Entertainment launched to produce across OTT, TV and film
New venture from R K Swamy Hansa Group eyes multi-language stories for digital-first audiences.
MUMBAI: Hansa Entertainment has just stepped into the spotlight because when a legacy media house decides to script its next act, even the credits get excited. Hansa Entertainment Private Limited has been incorporated to develop and produce original programming across digital, television, OTT platforms and theatrical features. The company will create short-running series, long-running series and original films for OTT, alongside standout theatrical ventures. It will also launch a podcast platform called Hansa Spotlight and produce content for the fast-growing vertical drama format. Stories are initially planned in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Kannada.
The venture is founded by Sruti Swamy and Siddharth Swamy, drawing on the rich legacy of Hansa Vision and the broader R K Swamy Hansa Group. Sruti brings creative expertise with a master’s in architecture, interiors and design from Milan and a postgraduate degree in business management from the Indian School of Business. Siddharth contributes a data-driven perspective, having studied data science at Imperial College London.
Sujatha Narayanan has been appointed CEO of Hansa Entertainment. With over two decades of experience in creative content curation and production across film and OTT, she is also a well-known film columnist and media entrepreneur.
R K Swamy Hansa Group executive chairman Srinivasan Swamy said, “The launch of Hansa Entertainment marks an exciting new chapter. The new entity is the brainchild of the next generation and will be independently managed by Sruti Swamy, who is the Director and the newly appointed CEO.”
Hansa Entertainment director Sruti Swamy added, “I am very optimistic about the future of Hansa Entertainment, given the content explosion and the opportunities offered by new technologies for production.”
Hansa Entertainment director Siddharth Swamy noted, “The idea is to grow a contemporary production house that creates compelling stories for today’s multi-platform audiences while drawing inspiration from the rich storytelling traditions that audiences have appreciated over the years.”
Hansa Entertainment CEO Sujatha Narayanan said, “Hansa Entertainment will evolve as a story-first, IP-driven entity. We have already put together a smart team of interesting and dynamic creators who will helm our vertical dramas, shows and films.”
In the ever-evolving world of Indian entertainment, where stories now travel faster than the scripts that birth them, Hansa Entertainment is stepping onto the stage with fresh ink and big ambitions proving that even the best legacies know when it’s time for a compelling sequel.
