Distribution
Media Ranch partners with Crazy Maverick Films for international format development
Mumbai: Media Ranch’s president and founder Sophie Ferron announced that Media Ranch, and Crazy Maverick Films Private Ltd (CMF) have agreed to develop, co-own and distribute a slate of paper formats for global distribution, with the aim to partner and co-own with high-end talent of the industry. Media Ranch’s director, storytelling and business development Philip Kalin-hajdu will oversee the development for the partnerships.
The first partnership is with Lucky Horseshoe, newly launched ProdCo from Blake Shelton & Lee Metzger for two 2 paper formats – including a bold, fresh high-concept take on dating – with development beginning this Autumn. In May 2023 music superstar and TV personality Blake Shelton and showrunner Lee Metzger (Legendary, The Voice) joined forces to launch Lucky Horseshoe Productions and this partnership is one of their first international deals.
Development and IP ownership for the first format will be with all three parties with a focus on a strategic worldwide launch with each company leaning into their strengths: Lucky Horseshoe will be the producer in North America, CMF will produce in India; and Media Ranch will market and distribute to the rest of world. The aim is to collaborate and co-develop to create exciting new formats that appeal to a global audience, while identifying early on what makes the format feel local, personal, and identifiable. The ability to understand the nuances in each company’s territories helps in the creative approach.
Media Ranch had been working with Abhishek Rege of CMF to partner with brand-name companies and AAA creators such as Lucky Horseshoe to expand their libraries of originals to reach new markets. This is the first project for Rege’s new prodco, CMF after his role as CEO of Endemol Shine India. He was also named to The Economic Times/Spencer Stuart’s India’s ‘hottest 40 under 40 Business Leaders ‘in 2018 and to the Impact 40 under 40 list in 2019. Prior to this, he has held various management roles at Viacom18 and Star India. Bhhaskar De, who comes with a rich international experience, played a key role in getting Media Ranch and Abhishek Rege together for this one-of-a-kind initiative.
Shelton and Metzger stated: “Lucky Horseshoe was launched in May and this partnership is exactly what we are looking for to broaden our reach to other territories. Sophie and Abhishek have the international experience and contacts to help us create something fun and unique.”
Rege added: “Sophie and I are here at MIPCOM to promote our exciting collaboration with Blake and Lee. With all the talent involved, we know that we are bringing something special to the market – the first of many for our format development slate.”
Ferron said: “Media Ranch is so thrilled to announce our development deal with Abhishek Rege here at MIPCOM and also to jointly announce our partnership with the incomparable Blake Shelton and Lee Metzger whose talent and appeal are universally recognized and loved. Media Ranch continues to develop original formats that will make their mark on the world. We are excited to be in partnership with such fantastic format creators from around the world. The world is truly small, business is global, and this pan-world partnership is testament to that.’”
New Delhi: Prasar Bharati has thrown open applications for fresh capacity on DD Free Dish, signalling a timely opportunity for broadcasters looking to expand reach without long-term lock-ins. The public service broadcaster has issued a dual notice for its 95th and 96th online e-auctions, aimed at filling vacant MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 slots on a pro-rata basis for February and March 2026.
The two auctions are tentatively scheduled to begin on January 27, with allotments valid from February 1, 2026. Applications for both auctions close on January 21 at 3 pm, giving channels a narrow window to get their bids in.
The 95th e-auction will cover vacant MPEG-2 slots, while the 96th will focus on MPEG-4 capacity. Participation is limited to satellite television channels holding valid downlinking and uplinking permissions from the ministry of information and broadcasting. International public broadcasters cleared by the ministry are also eligible.
As with previous rounds, channels have been grouped into buckets based on genre and language, with sharply differentiated reserve prices reflecting reach and demand.
For the MPEG-2 auction, Hindi and Urdu general entertainment channels sit at the top of the pile. The starting reserve price for bucket A+ in the first round is Rs 2,63,48,000. Movie, music and sports channels in Hindi and Urdu follow in bucket A at Rs 2,10,14,000. Bhojpuri channels and other Hindi and Urdu genres, excluding devotional content, fall under bucket B with a reserve of Rs 1,78,62,000. Hindi and Urdu news channels in bucket C start at Rs 1,33,27,000, while bucket D, which includes regional language channels, English news and devotional or spiritual channels, begins at Rs 1,13,96,000.
The MPEG-4 auction comes in at a far leaner price point. News and current affairs channels in Hindi, English or pan-India languages, grouped under bucket G1, start at Rs 13,41,000. Non-news genres under bucket G2 have a reserve of Rs 8,80,000. Regional languages such as Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati in bucket R2 begin at Rs 4,84,000. Southern language channels in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, grouped under bucket R1, start at Rs 81,000, the same reserve price set for other scheduled 8 regional languages in bucket R3.
Prasar Bharati has underlined that compliance will be closely watched. Broadcasters must ensure that at least 75 per cent of their monthly programming, excluding advertisements, aligns with the declared genre and language. Any deviation could trigger show-cause notices or even removal from the DD Free Dish platform.
For channels chasing reach in a crowded market, the message is clear. The window is brief, the prices are set and the audience is waiting. On DD Free Dish, visibility still comes cheap, but only for those ready to move fast.
