PIX, the English movie channel from Multi Screen Media (MSM), has entered into an exclusive deal with Hollywood studio Sony Pictures. Under the deal, PIX will have rights to premiere films released worldwide by Sony Pictures.
“We will have a slate of 40 to 50 new films in the next year. This is a game-changing deal for us, as we hope our viewership share to grow to around 25 per cent over the next year,” said Sunder Aaron, business head, PIX.
The deal will come into effect from January 1, 2011, after HBO’s agreement with Sony Pictures comes to an end. PIX will premiere films like Salt, Karate Kid and Resident Evil.
Till now, PIX did not have an exclusive deal with any of the major Hollywood studios.
Star Movies has an exclusive deal with Fox Star and Walt Disney Studios and HBO has deals with Warner Brother Pictures, Paramount Pictures. Exclusive deals with studios ensure that a movie channel gets new content ahead of competition.
PIX had started out as a channel banking on the library of MGM and Sony Pictures. With this exclusive deal, PIX expects its ad revenues to jump.
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“In 2009-10, PIX had a 30 per cent jump in advertisement revenues. Even in the current financial year, we expect to have similar growth in advertisement sales. In financial year 2012, we will reap the benefit of this exclusive deal and expect the ad revenues of the channel to grow at around 40 per cent,” said N P Singh, COO of Sony Entertainment.
Singh said the blockbuster movies from Sony Pictures will allow PIX to charge a premium from advertisers. “We expect PIX to be the number 2 in the English movie channel space.”
In the January-June period of this year, Star Movies had a channel share of 42 per cent. HBO and PIX had channel share of 28 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively, according to TAM data.