His is a tale that is not just about multiplexes. E-City Investments and Holdings chief Atul Goel is hooking up a film exhibition, distribution and digital delivery business.
At the centre of this game is the multiplex business. Fun Multiplex Pvt Ltd is on a massive scale up exercise, planning to ramp up from 23 screens to 150 by FY08 while acquiring 100 single screens to gain a pan-India presence.
E-City Digital Cinemas will deliver movies to theatres via satellite as well as hard disk in a format that operates on low margins but is profitable. Being part of the Essel group, it will use the Essel Shyam facility at Noida near Delhi which is also utilised by Zee for uplinking its channels.
Goel recently got IL&FS to invest Rs 1 billion for a 26 per cent stake in E-City Entertainment, the hived off entity that handles real estate development. His next big target: a combined turnover of Rs 5 billion by FY08.
In conversation with Indiantelevision.com's Sibabrata Das & Bijoy AK, Goel unveils the expansion plans he has chalked out for E-City.
Excerpts:
Why did you decide to hive off the multiplex and real estate businesses into separate companies? |
||
Are you in the hunt for an investor in the multiplex business as well? |
||
What makes you project such a fast rate of growth in two years? |
||
Do you see revenue growth also coming from increase in ticket rates? |
||
Multiplex operators are in a build up phase and Inox has even taken the acquisition route in Kolkata to enhance its pan-India presence. How are you planning to scale up your operations? |
||
|
||
Multiplex operators have been made to pay more for premium film content by Yash Raj Films (YRF). When YRF asked for an increase in revenue share for the Aamir Khan blockbuster Fanaa, you took a hard stance. What made you compromise later? |
||
Has YRF, with a lineup of Hindi blockbusters like Fanaa, Krrish and Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna, started a trend where film content distributors would push for higher revenue shares from multiplex operators? |
||
Are you in any such alliance with a big distributor? |
||
Have you taken a cautious approach in the film distribution business? |
||
Have you closed down your content syndication business? |
||
What are the expansion plans for E-City Entertainment after IL&FS has taken a stake in it? |
||
How are you funding these properties? |
||
When is E-City Digital Cinemas starting satellite delivery of movies to cinema theatres? |
||
How many theatres will have the digital system? |
||
So will E-City Holdings go for an initial public offering (IPO) or will the different entities have separate listings? |