Hindi
UFO bags best Digital Cinema Solutions award at Chhattisgarhi film award ceremony
MUMBAI: Satellite delivered Digital Cinema network UFO Moviez has won the ‘Best Digital Cinema Solutions’ award at the Chhattisgarhi film award ceremony 2013.
Averred UFO Moviez director Satish Jain, “UFO Moviez has brought about a major revolution in the Chhattisgarhi film industry. The number of Chhattisgarhi films releasing in the last three years has increased sharply from just 1 or 2 each in 2007, 2008 & 2009 to 14 in 2010, 18 in 2011 and 14 in 2012, thanks to UFO’s Digital Cinema solutions.
In the pre-digitization era, hardly one Chhattisgarhi film used to release every 2-3 years, but the numbers have shot up to 12-15 films annually in the post UFO era. Today, Chhattisgarhi films are only shot digitally thanks to the availability of UFO’s Digital Cinema exhibition technology.”
Said UFO Moviez India COO Pankaj Jaysinh, “We are thankful for this recognition and proud to be associated with a forum supported by a State Government body as well as local film industry stakeholders. UFO Moviez is a leader and pioneer in converting existing theatres in Chhattisgarh into digital ones so that film producers and distributors can showcase the latest local language films on a first-day-first-show basis to wider set of audiences in the state and even across India.
UFO Moviez has been bridging the geographic divide and increasing the number of Chhattisgarhi films on its digital network over the years. Digital medium of film exhibition has not only benefitted the Chhattisgarhi film industry, but also other regional film industries like Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Marathi, Assamese, Punjabi to flourish. Theatre owners are also reaping the benefits of the digitization of films including higher footfalls in the theatre premises, more ticket collections and enhanced advertising revenue earnings. It’s a win-win situation for all stakeholders of the Chhattisgarhi film business and the industry benefits the most.
Chhattisgarhi film ‘Mayaa’, which was directed by Jain and produced by Rocky Daswani, released in June 2009 and was the first blockbuster Chhattisgarhi movie to release on the digital platform through UFO. As a matter of fact, Mayaa even crossed the collections of Aamir Khan’s Ghajini in Maa Bhuwneswari Talkies, Vinay Talkies and New Raj Talkies.
UFO’s platform has enabled filmmakers to get the maximum revenue which wasn’t possible earlier. Toora Rickshawala, which was produced by Dawsani and directed by Jain was also a blockbuster. The film released on the UFO platform on 4 June 2010 and completed 100 days in Apsara Talkies (UFO Cinema) in Durg.
The ceremony was organized by Filmi Chhattisgarh and sponsored by Credible Chhattisgarh, Cultural Division, Government of Chhattisgarh and Bhatia Film Production. The third edition of Chhattisgarhi Film Award Ceremony 2013 was held on 30 January.
Hindi
GUEST COLUMN: Why film libraries & IPs are the new engines of growth
Unlocking value through catalogue strength and IP synergy
MUMBAI:In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, platform proliferation, and ever-evolving audience behavior, the economics of filmmaking are undergoing a fundamental shift. No longer confined to box office performance, a film’s true value is now measured across an extended lifecycle that spans digital platforms, syndication networks, and global markets. As content consumption becomes increasingly non-linear and algorithm-driven, film libraries and intellectual properties (IPs) are emerging as strategic assets, capable of delivering sustained, long-term returns. For Mohan Gopinath, head – bollywood business at Shemaroo Entertainment Ltd., this transformation signals a decisive move from hit-driven models to portfolio-led value creation. In this piece, Gopinath explores how legacy content, when intelligently repurposed and distributed, can unlock recurring revenue streams, why the interplay between catalogue and original IP is critical, and how media companies can build resilient, future-ready entertainment businesses.
For all these years, we thought that a film is successful if it performs well in theatres. There are opening weekend numbers, box office milestones, and distribution footprints that gave a good picture of how the movie has done commercially and also tell us about its cultural impact. However, there are multiple platforms today, always-on content ecosystem, which has caused a shift. Today, the theatrical performance is not the culmination of a film’s journey but merely the beginning of a much longer and more dynamic lifecycle.
Film libraries today are emerging as high-value, constantly evolving assets that deliver sustained returns well beyond initial release cycles. This becomes a point of great advantage for legacy content owners with diverse catalogues, to shape long-term business outcomes.
According to FICCI-EY, the media and entertainment industry of India achieved a valuation of Rs 2.78 trillion in 2025 which is expected to reach Rs 3.3 trillion by 2028 through a compound annual growth rate of approximately 7 per cent and digital media will bring in more than Rs 1 trillion to become the biggest sector which generates about 36 per cent of overall market revenues.
This shift is the expansion of distribution endpoints. We know how satellite television was once the primary secondary window but today, it coexists with YouTube, OTT platforms, Connected TV, and FAST channels. Each of these platforms caters to distinct audience demographics and consumption behaviors, helping content owners to obtain more value from the same asset across multiple formats.
For instance, films that had great reruns, now find continuous engagement across digital platforms. On YouTube, classic Hindi cinema continues to attract significant viewership, reaching audiences across generations and geographies with remarkable consistency. At Shemaroo Entertainment, this is reflected in our film library shaped over decades as part of a long association with Indian entertainment. From classics such as Amar Akbar Anthony to much-loved entertainers like Jab We Met, Welcome, Dhamaal, Phir Hera Pheri, Dhol, Golmaal, and Bhagam Bhag, many of these titles continue finding new audiences while retaining their place in popular memory. Their enduring appeal reflects how culturally resonant stories can continue creating value over time. Similarly, FAST channels have created curated, always-on environments where catalogue content can continue to thrive through star-led and genre-based programming.
This multi-platform approach has very well transformed films into long-tail IP assets which are capable of generating recurring revenue across advertising, subscription, and syndication models.
The evolution of audience behavior is equally important. Nowadays, it’s more important to find what’s more relative than what’s recent as viewers are more influenced by mood, memories, and algorithmic suggestions than by release schedules. Even if a movie was released decades ago, it can trend alongside a newly released movie, if surfaced in the right context. Thoughtful packaging, whether through festival-based playlists, actor-driven collections, or genre clusters, allows catalogue content to remain dynamic and continuously discoverable. Shemaroo Entertainment has built extensive film libraries over decades and its focus has mostly been on recontextualizing content for the consumption of newer environments. This process doesn’t just include digitization and restoration, but also re-packaging of films as per platforms.
Syndication itself has evolved into a key growth driver. In perspective, when looking at the domestic market, curated content packages continue to find strong demand across broadcast and digital platforms. Meanwhile, in the international market, especially in markets like Middle East, North America and Southeast Asia, the appetite for Indian content is opening up new monetization avenues. Here, the ability to package and position catalogue content effectively becomes as important as the content itself.
Importantly, the need to re-package catalogue content does not diminish the role of new content. In fact, originals and fresh IP are essential to sustaining the long-term value of a film library because they act as discovery engines that bring audiences into the ecosystem, while catalogue content drives depth, retention, and repeat engagement.
This interplay between the “new” and the “known” is what defines a robust content strategy today. While new films generate spikes in consumption, catalogue titles offer familiarity and comfort. These are factors that are increasingly valuable in an era of content abundance and decision fatigue. This is also shaping our strategy, drawing value from both a deep catalogue assets and a growing focus on original IPs to strengthen long-term audience engagement and build more predictable revenue streams.
There is growing recognition that long-term value in entertainment will be shaped not only by how intelligently existing content continues to live, travel and find relevance, but also by how consistently new stories are created to renew that ecosystem. In that sense, film libraries and original IP are not parallel bets, but reinforcing engines of growth. For media companies, the opportunity lies in making these two forces work together, because that is increasingly where more resilient and predictable businesses are being shaped.
Note: The views expressed in this article are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect our own.
