Airtel Digital TV Inks Deal With Viacom18 To Offer Movie Content

The direct-to-home service company Airtel Digital TV has struck a deal with Viacom 18-Colors, an entertainment content company to launch its first movie and video content subscription called Superhitz for 24x7 movie and video content.

Under this partnership, Superhitz will be available via subscription to all Airtel digital TV's six million customers across the country. With this, customers can now watch a collection of Bollywood blockbusters on Channel 159 by subscribing to this new monthly service on Airtel digital TV.

"Pay per view movies as a category has been doing very well on their platform, being one of the largest contributors to growth in value added services. The launch of Superhitz would help catalyze the growing interest in the genre by bringing home the benefits of comfort, convenience and value," said Sugato Banerji, chief marketing officer, Airtel digital TV, Bharti Airtel.

With many in rural India having to wait endlessly for new movie releases, Superhitz is their way of having them keep up with the latest and most varied movie fare on offer on DTH, Banerji added.

To avail the new service, Airtel customers will have to pay Rs.20 per month. The channel will show 10 movies in the first month of launch, with titles such as No One Killed Jessica, Dabangg, Mirch, Marigold, Tum Mile, Ajnabee, Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi, Aashiqui, Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya and Hello Brother. In subsequent months more titles will be added.

The movies available under this arrangement will not be solely for Viacom 18 produced movies but also for movies produced under other production houses as well.

Airtel Digital TV is owned by telecom behemoth Bharti Airtel, which offers a wide portfolio of services across mobile voice and data, fixed line, high speed broadband, IPTV and DTH, besides telecommunication solutions for enterprises and national and international long-distance services to carriers.

COLORS' is Viacom18's 50/50 joint venture operation in India between Viacom Inc and the Network18 Group flagship brand in the entertainment space in India. The entertainment channel offers show ranging from Fiction shows to Format shows to Reality shows to Blockbuster Movies.