Reliance set to reel out short films, serials
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) is setting up its own production house to create original web series and short films for subscribers of its telecom unit Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd, as it seeks to maintain an edge over competing offerings.
This, the company expects, will help attract more users to its 215-million user wireless base, and also when it formally introduces its broadband service towards the end of this year.
Mobile data consumption has soared as tariffs plunged, boosting the viewership of video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. India-specific shows on these platforms including
Sacred Games and Comicstaan have become popular. “Content market is still not properly tapped…Reliance has hired a bunch of scriptwriters and content creators and is in the process of setting up a huge production house,” a person aware of the development said requesting anonymity.
Reliance has made a string of acquisitions recently to boost its content offerings. In March, RIL announced an integration with music app Saavn for its digital music service JioMusic.
In February, Reliance Industries announced that it would buy a 5% stake in film maker Eros International Plc. Jyoti Deshpande, a former group chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) at Eros, who has joined as head of the media and entertainment business at RIL, is currently driving the company’s initiatives to build businesses around the content ecosystem.
Jio also has a tie-up with media arts institute Whistling Woods International to set up a lab dedicated to virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality industry with an aim to create a generation of cinematic VR filmmakers.
An email query sent to Reliance Jio remained unanswered till press time.