With Television channels and networks competing with each other to acquire Satellite Rights of Bollywood films, the market is hotter than ever before. Feature films are being sold for astronomical prices and producers are recovering a huge part of their investment, even before its theatrical release. Infact, some make a profit merely from Satellite Rights. Irrespective of how the film performs at the box office, the producers make more than the money invested. Theatrical business would then merely be a bonus.
Having said that, most pre-release Satellite deals signed these days include a clause. In case a film performs poorly at the box office, the Satellite Rights pricing would then be re-negotiated.
What this has also done is, allowed the producers to take up risker films. Like for example, Shahrukh Khan has invested upwards of 125 crores on Ra One and has already recovered 35 crores through Satellite rights, 6 months before the films theatrical release. Without the added bonus, investing more than 125 crores would have been much more risker and Ra One could have found itself buried under its own weight, due to the high costs involved. While the costs are still high, recovering 100 crores is no longer a big deal with the Star power that Shahrukh Khan commands and the fact that big well-marketed films, released during the holiday season, can easily earn 80 crores+ during the first week of its release.
To give you some idea of Satellite Rights prices of other films in recent years.. Check out the list below
- Ra One (2011) – 35 crores
- Bodyguard (2011) – approx 25 – 30 crores
- Rajneethi (2010) – 25 crores
- Tees Mar Khan (2010) – 24 crores
- 3 Idiots (2009) – 23 crores
The year of the film release should also be taken into consideration. I.e If a film like 3 Idiots would have released today, it would have easily fetched 35 crores that SRK’s Ra One did. This article is not a comparison of star power, but to show how Satellite Rights has given producers a bigger incentive to make bigger and better films.
Some smaller films have made a killing too
- Peepli Live – approx 8 to 10 crores
- Once Upon A Time In Mumbai – 10 crores
- Tere Bin Laden – 4.25 crores (includes music and DVD rights)
- Yamla Pagala Deewana – 17 crores (could have probably made even more, if the rights were sold after the films box office success.
All said and done, content remains king. If a film is good, it will not just make good money theatrically but also get great prices for satellite rights.
correct your price of ra1 it is 40 cr not 35
“””” The year of the film release should also be taken into consideration. I.e If a film like 3 Idiots would have released today, it would have easily fetched 35 crores that SRK’s Ra One did. This article is not a comparison of star power, but to show how Satellite Rights has given producers a bigger incentive to make bigger and better films.”””””””
hhhhhhhhh very very veryyyyyyyyy stupid line … this line assured me this is a yellow site which hate SRK just make a high viewing by his name because he is the ONLY KING in bollywood
I regret bsing here …. rubbish
Salman khan is the best. He is my father
Wrong! Economic Times, Financial Express, Screen, Mint everyone reported that 3 Idiots satellite rights were sold for 35 crore! It held the record for highest price for satellite rights. Only recently, new films like Ra 1, Dhuan, Krissh 2 and Agneepath have passed this record. Even Aamir’s Ghajini’s satellite rights were sold for 30 crores as reported by Economic Times and Financial Express. 3 Idiots is clearly not mere 23 crore! It was the highest grossing Indian film of all time back then! Get facts right!
Ek Tha Tiger is 50cr & Agneepath is 41cr.. Dabangg2 satellite rights price is even more than Ek Tha Tiger.