Anil Ambani's Reliance Broadcast betting big on IP biz

Anil Ambani's Reliance Broadcast Network (RBNL) is betting big on its intellectual properties (IPs) and has lined-up massive plans for this vertical going forward, a senior company official said.

An increased focus has been given to its IP vertical (a part of BIG Live, the company's experiential marketing arm) beginning last quarter which could drive growth in this business 50-75 per cent YoY.

"We see a very huge potential in the IP vertical and we are betting big on this. We are very optimistic of the returns it can give us," BIG Live's IP Properties Head, Arjun Singgh Baran, told PTI here today.

While he declined to give a growth projection YoY, the company is understood to have internally pegged it at between 50-75 per cent.
   
In Q1 FY 11, the IP business fetched RBNL around Rs 36 lakh. "We were taking our first steps in this business then. But from Q2 FY 11, revenue growth will be exponential," Baran said.
   
While he declined to give any figures, it is understood that the IP vertical's revenue could be anywhere in the range of Rs five to seven crore, on the back of some key properties executed.

The company is aiming to execute over 15 IPs by end-Q3 FY 11 by taking its music awards to more parts of the country.

It began with BIG Music Awards in the last quarter (July-Sept) executed across Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Punjabi and Bengali.
   
"Besides, we have joined hands with The Indian Music Academy for promotion of all forms of Indian music to create India's largest and most credible music awards, titled the BIG IMA Awards 2010, to be hosted shortly," Baran said.
   
The company is also planning entertainment awards for the Gujarati and Oriya entertainment industries.
   
Also in the pipeline is BIG Live's TV Biggies, in the local languages of Kannada, Marathi, Bengali and Telugu "which will celebrate excellence in regional television across various regional markets," he said.
   
The IP vertical will contribute significantly to RBNL's pie from next year when "a huge line-up of properties will be executed," Baran said.

This industry is pegged at around Rs 1,600 crore and RBNL is aiming to capture a significant marketshare of this, he said.