B4U is still considering the launch of its Bollywood-movie channel in India. Says Ravi Gupta, CEO, B4U: ``Close to two-third of our fresh investments will be for software acquisitions. We have already invested $100 million for business development in overseas and Indian market.'' Mr Gupta adds, ``The way we're moving we expect to break-even in the year 2001-02. We have already broken-even in the UK, USA, and Middle East.'' B4U is also planning to launch an entertainment portal - Bollywood4U.com before the year-end.

``It's more in an incubation mode now. But it will be the biggest entertainment portal and will offer us an interactive platform to reach out to our audience,'' says Mr Gupta. B4U Entertainment channel will leverage the B4U Music Channel's existing distribution network-handled by Modi Entertainment Network, In Cable of the Hindujas and local distributors-which take the Bollywood-centric music channel to over 15 million homes. ``We're aiming to reach around 30 million homes in the next six months with the entertainment channel,'' says Mr Gupta. Buoyed by the swift success of B4U Music, which is claimed to have stolen a lead over other music channels with 38 per cent viewership share among 15-24 age group, the company is planning to ``eventually become a pay channel.'' B4U will also launch a south Indian movie channel for the overseas market by December this year. ``Our strategy will be to tap the Tamil audience in Europe, especially UK; Malayalam-speaking audience in the Middle East; and Telugu audience in theUSA, says Mr Gupta.''

B4U Music has already attracted around two dozen companies, including 40 premium brands in the first three months' of operations. For the entertainment channel, it's beginning with an introductory pricing. During prime time slot (7 pm to 11 pm), its pricing for the B4U Entertainment will be in the range of Rs 30,000-Rs 1 lakh for a 10-second spot as compared to B4U Music's pricing of Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 for 10 seconds. The B4U Entertainment will consist of three bands. The Entertainment band will have star-studded Bollywood-driven programming like shows on cookery, travel, gossip, fitness and fashion. The Soaps band will have Bollywood stars like Bhagyashree, Farha, Ashok Sharaf etc acting in serials at prime time from Monday to Thursday. The movie band will have three blockbuster movies everyday.

B4U Entertainment has already acquired the exclusive rights for over 1,000 Bollywood movies. B4U has tied up with cine stars like Rekha, Shah Rukh Khan, Rajesh Kumar for exclusive performance on the channel. It has also forged exclusive tie-up with half a dozen movie producers, including Raj Kumar Santoshi and Ram Gopal Verma. ``We're negotiating with around eight key players - from content generation to content distribution,'' Mr Gupta adds. To boost brand's presence, B4U plans to run a massive launch campaign with a tagline of ``The Stars are watching B4U. Are You?.'' Besides securing a major presence in the outdoor advertising media, B4U Entertainment will run spots across five channels - Sony Entertainment TV, B4U Music, MCM, Fashion TV, and DD Metro-Channel 9; splash ads in 30 publications, especially in the Hindi belt; and advertise in FM Radio in Mumbai, Delhi and Calcutta.