Piracy continues to pose a huge threat to the film industry and stringent measures are needed at the earliest to check this menace, said Kamal Haasan, Chairman of the two-day Media and Entertainment Conclave organised here by FICCI.

South Indian film industry veterans say film production in the South still depends heavily on traditional techniques and resources. The industry has technically skilled personnel, but the production space lacks trained resources. Unlike other industries, film budgeting is a challenge here, said Sai Prasad, Director, Prasad Group.

The South Indian media and entertainment market is expected to grow to Rs 36,000 crore in the next four years from the current Rs 21,200 crore. According to a FICCI study, conducted by Deloitte — Promising signs ahead, the industry has been growing at over 13 per cent year on year, “and the positive milieu in the South is encouraging players to go beyond traditional boundaries and explore newer segments with fresh offerings”, said Sandip Biswas, Director, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India.

According to him, the increasing use of advanced visual effects in many upcoming big budget films is noteworthy. In the television space, it is the interest of broadcasters in airing an increasing number of reality shows across all regional channels. Even, news channels are working towards topical and local news to engage the viewer. The print industry, on the other hand, is increasingly leveraging new media to offer customised news and videos through online portal and mobile apps. The study says, with Rs 12,220-crore (58 per cent) business, TV industry is playing a major role. This is followed by the print medium with 29 per cent (Rs 6,265 crore) and the film industry with 11 per cent (Rs 2,340 crore). Radio is still in the budding stage with 2 per cent share.

The total TV advertisement revenue in South India is estimated at Rs 3,610 crore in 2012, and it is likely to grow by 16 per cent to Rs 6,540 crore in 2016. The total content revenue from television in the South is Rs 470 crore, in 2012, and it is expected to grow at 15 per cent to reach Rs 830 crore by 2016, added the study.

However, the industry experts said there are a lot of concerns too. The industry would have to tide over the current economic turbulence which is bound to affect advertisers’ spends on various media. Corporates are increasingly looking to adopt cost-effective means to promote and retain their market share. The attractiveness of digital marketing is on the rise. But, at the same time, the industry is yet to identify a sustainable monetisation model to cash in on the growth in that segment.

> ravikumar.ramanujam@thehindu.co.in

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