YouTube Box Office (BO) ? YouTube?s online Bollywood channel where users in India can watch non-pirated films for free ? is tipped to emerge as an attractive source of revenue for production houses, besides legitimising online content for viewers.
YouTube BO runs on title sponsorship and embedded ads and showcases one blockbuster film a month. According to industry sources, 60-70% of the advertising revenues on the channel will be pocketed by producers, thus opening up a new window for them to monetise their content on the digital platform.
Yash Raj Films (YRF), which has partnered with YouTube in the opening month that sees the streaming of the 2010 blockbuster Band Baaja Baarat, believes that YouTube BO is an innovative platform that attempts to curb online piracy, besides offering an additional touch point to content-owners to reach out to consumers.
Anand Gurnani, general manager ? digital and new media, YRF, said, ?This channel allows us to monetise our digital assets in a legitimate manner. The producer?s objective is to reach out to end-users in the touch points where they are comfortable transacting. Band Baja Baaratwas a pilot film and it received an encouraging 2.5 million hits in 2 weeks.?
Meanwhile, YouTube has taken serious measures to arrest online piracy. If any video is uploaded illegally on the channel, a digital video-finger printing process is underway that flags off the content-owner who can pull down the video immediately.
Gautam Anand, director ? content partnerships, YouTube Japan-APAC, said, ?We?ve created an advanced set of copyright policies and content management tools to give rightholders control of their content.?
While YouTube?s current library of 1,500 titles primarily consists of catalog films and older releases, YRF believes, much like the theatrical-to-TV window, a theatrical-to-digital window will also come into practice. Gurnani said, ?New films can be released on YouTube BO in conjunction with its DVD launch. The window has shortened to 2-3 months of the film?s theatrical release.?
However, these ancillary modes of entertainment are unlikely to impact theatrical footfalls. ?True connoisseurs of films will always prefer the big screen experience,? he said.
While YRF is upbeat about YouTube BO, film studios like UTV Motion Pictures and Eros International are cautious in taking the plunge. Amrita Pandey, SVP ? international distribution & syndication, Motion Pictures, UTV said, ?We?e in talks with YouTube but nothing is final. We?re cautious on offering our content free of cost to viewers. We can fix a price point but market trends suggest that Indian consumers are reluctant to pay for online content. Hence, this is a great platform for an advertiser as it provides him an increased reach, but as a producer, we?ll wait and watch.?
Eros, with an extensive film library of more than 2,000 titles, is looking to launch its own digital live-streaming platform. It is also in talks with YouTube.
Meanwhile, YouTube, which has 10,000 content partners worldwide, is collaborating with leading Indian film and TV content owners on a revenue-sharing basis. Anand added, ?We?re working with all major content partners like Rajshri, YRF, Eros, Shemaroo. We?ve partnerships with GECs like Zee, Colors, Imagine, Sony and offer catch-up episodes for most of their popular shows.?