RelCom to premiere movies

MUMBAI: Reliance Communications is venturing into premiering of movies over cell phones, even as it showcased the first movie - 'Ctrl+Alt+Del' - on a mobile platform.

The special 25-minute clip was produced by Phonethics Mobile Media, a content and solutions company.

This is the first time a mobile is being premiered on a cell phone in India. A user can log on to R-World, the data applications services of Reliance Communications, and download the movie.

The cost of a five-minute online streaming video would be around Rs 15, while Rs 10 is being charged for movie video clips, while downloading of ring tones and wallpapers would be charged at around Rs 5.

"The premiere of 'Ctrl+Alt+Del' on Reliance Mobile unleashes the power of the mobile medium, which marks another milestone for the Indian film industry," Reliance Communications President Applications Solutions & Content Group Mahesh Prasad said.

According to Phonethics Mobile Media CEO Saurabh Gupta, "This is just the beginning and we are planning to introduce more such movies that would help us tap the growing value-added services (VAS) segments in the country. According to rough estimates, VAS market in the country is estimated to be around Rs 600 crore,"

The company is also moving into offering movie content on other platforms like Ipod video, hand-held devices, GSM phones, while it is considering distribution of content over various channels. Phonethics is in the advanced stages of developing a slew of new products for exclusive distribution over mobile phones in the growing Indian market, he said.

The present arrangement with Reliance is a revenue-sharing agreement, and the company is looking at similar tie-ups with other firms in the country.

Reliance Communications had launched a range of VAS segment, including TV channel on the mobile, apart from introducing mobile streaming and mobi-serials.

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