New service streams films simultaneous with cinemas

An up and coming online service, ‘First Day, First Show’ will release new Bollywood movies in international markets simultaneous to their theatrical releases in India.

Parent company, Verismo Networks, a global multi-platform consumer entertainment service will give Bollywood movie fans outside of India the opportunity of viewing the latest Bollywood films no matter how big or small the movie.

Mela claims that it is the first-ever major Bollywood movie service in the world to launch such an initiative.

Mela is announcing the formal launch of its ‘First Day, First Show’ initiative with the simultaneous global release of the award-winning and multi-starring Bollywood film ‘Chaurahen’.

The film will release globally on all Mela platforms – the Mela Bollywood movies channel on Roku, the Mela app on iPad and the Mela High Definition set top box on Friday 16th March. The film is being released the same day in theatres in India by its local distributer, Priya Village Roadshow (PVR).

Sab Kanaujia, the General Manager of Mela, commented, “Mela is proud to become the first entertainment service to provide Bollywood producers and studios arguably the most effective global distribution platform. Now, quality content can reach its fans immediately, no matter where they are in the world.

We are excited to acquire ‘Chaurahen’. While we are starting with mid- to small budget movies under this initiative, we are confident that over time we will be able to acquire big-budget movies by demonstrating the value of our distribution platform.”

Almost fifty percent of new Bollywood movies released in India every year do not get a simultaneous theatrical release in international markets due to various reasons. Limited number of available screens for releasing niche content and high traditional distribution and marketing cost are the main reasons why many Bollywood movies after releasing in India do not reach their global fans. As a result, rampant piracy has taken root in international markets to meet the growing demand of ardent fans who don�۪t want to wait until official DVDs are released several weeks or months after a new movie�۪s theatrical release in India.

Additionally, cheap, pirated DVDs, available within days of a movie�۪s theatrical release in India, have almost killed the home box office market because the price of official DVDs has remained very high comparatively.

Mela is available at��www.mela.com.