Business Standard has an eulogising report on Anil Ambani:
Looking at straddling the entire value chain of the entertainment content carriageway, the Anil Ambani group is ensuring its footprints across every possible facet of entertainment. Ranging from television to radio to films to exhibition to home video, the ADAE group seems to have a blueprint for every division in place, and the kick-off into the media and entertainment segment does not seem too far off.
Further, much talked about Reliance’s optic fibre cable that would “provide magic”:
Reliance Infocomm has chalked out a collaboration with Microsoft to look at IPTV. The company is all set to enter consumer homes with broadband Internet through its fibre optic backbone. The group is looking at the same connectivity to be used to deliver entertainment content like channels, video-on-demand, among other things.
For ADAE, the bluprint seems determined for the group to emerge as the media behemoth of India.
Is it true?
The article in the newspaper fails to highlight one crucial aspect. Reliance is aiming for a CONTENT DELIVERY PLATFORM rather than “media czar” as the article seems to imply. The biggest advantage with the aim is lack of legacy systems and ability to invest after raising capital.
Further, Anil Ambani is keen on leveraging the network.(Google has a whole lot of links for Anil Ambani.) Airtel or BSNL or perhaps anyone isn’t ready yet for the foray in the entertainment space. Anil needs content; and he is determined to reach out to every possible source.
Similarly, Reliance’s DTH licence or it’s foray in FM radio, means that he would be able to leverage to scale of cross media holdings. For excample, a cheap source of advertisments for his group companies. And of course, leverage the media power for promoting himself. Or his group. Reliance loves this.
Whenever he launches his broadband network, he would be able to leverage the value added proposition. Airtel is stuck in it’s plain vanilla internet access. BSNL made a lot of noise about getting one for themselves; they are still stuck in the time warp. No hope for these critters at all.
So it’s a matter of conjecture really as to how and when they would start streaming content.
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It is great pleasure to all the indians that reliane group entering in the media and entertainment.
Public have great confidence and some expectations from reliance of its services.
I hope definitely it will succeeded and make the public happy.
While entering it is better to take some precautions for DTH services which others failed in some areas, for example Dish tv.
best wishes and thanks
from
kishore.