S India film distributors veto use of halls

Cinema halls across southern cities are not likely to telecast the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket tournament, since film producers and distributors have raised objections. P Jayaprakash, regional manager, UFO Moviez, which secured the telecast rights for the IPL-3 series, said: “First, we planned to telecast through theatres, but they (producers and distributors) raised objections since they are worried about their revenue.” The company has decided to telecast live the IPL series in open air grounds, marriage halls and auditoriums. It has chosen 60 venues across the southern states, with a total seating capacity of 60,000.

The company is eyeing Rs 5 crore revenue from the southern cities. “Entry fee for each match would be in denominations of Rs 100 and Rs 200,” said Jayaprakash. The company had tied up with Southern Digital Screenz India Pvt Ltd, for marketing the series in the region.

UFO Moviez is a digital cinema company with 1,800 screens across the country. It won the rights to telecast the series across India. The gross revenue it expects is Rs 50 crore.

“The box-office collection will be divided equally between cinema owners and UFO Moviez, while we will also exploit commercial opportunities during the match,” said Jayaprakash.