Big TV bags Jackson concert rights from Sony Pictures

Reliance Big TV is joining the music world in offering tribute to the ‘king of pop’ Michael Jackson by broadcasting one of his most memorable concerts.

The Anil Ambani group company has bagged rights of the concert — ‘Live In Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour’ — from Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and would premier it on Sunday. Big TV will broadcast the concert on a pay-per-view (PPV) basis, starting July 12, for a four-week period, according to sources.

The agreement with SPE is on a revenue share basis of 80:20. Both the companies (Big TV and SPE) are expecting high viewership for the programme, following the sentiments over the pop icon’s death on June 25 at his Los Angeles home.

This would be the first non-film Big TV would showcase on a PPV basis. According to sources, the company intends to charge Rs 25 per view for the concert.

When contacted, a Big TV spokesperson confirmed the development. He, however, declined to comment on the financial details.

‘Live in Bucharest’ is the first leg of Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour, which took place on October 1, 1992, at the Bucharest National Stadium. Hailed as one of the biggest and memorable concerts, the concert had a sold-out attendance of 170,000. Later, in 2005, a DVD of the concert was brought out, of which 950,000 copies were sold worldwide.

Big TV will broadcast some of Jackson’s exclusive footage from the Bucharest Concert, which would also have the ‘We Are The World’, a song written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song was to raise funds to help the drought-hit Ethiopia (1984-1985). The channel will also broadcast shots from concerts that took place in Madrid and Wembley Stadium, England.