MUMBAI: CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, has acquired an undisclosed large minority stake in Graphic India, a comic book and animation company focused on creating mythological and superhero characters, comics and stories for the Indian youth market, published across mobile and online platforms.

With this, CA Media has made its third acquisition in India. The company acquired 49 per cent stake in Endemol India and Only Much Louder (OML) and is looking at investing $50 million in Indian digital companies. In addition, CA also incubates a company called Fluence which manages Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor.

Launched last year by media entrepreneurs Sharad Devarajan, Gotham Chopra and Suresh Seetharaman as a subsidiary of U.S. comic book company Liquid Comics, Graphic India will now be jointly owned by Liquid Comics and CA Media.

Devarajan will be appointed CEO of Graphic India and remain Executive Chairman of Liquid Comics.

As part of the transaction, Liquid Comics will contribute one of the world?s largest and highest-quality comic book libraries based on Indian characters to Graphic India. In addition to CA Media?s investment, it will partner with Graphic India to provide industry expertise and create iconic franchises for Graphic?s characters through multiple media within the Indian entertainment ecosystem.

Graphic India will launch mythological and superhero characters and storylines through animated shorts, digital comics, and associated media content. It will enable consumers to experience its growing library of content across a variety of mobile and online devices, both within India and worldwide through its own digital platform as well as through distribution partners.

CA Media India CEO Rajesh Kamat said, "Following our successful entry into the traditional media space, we are very pleased that Graphic India marks our first investment in the digital space.CA Media?s aim is to create an ecosystem of diversified assets across media, where each asset not only unlocks its own value, but also adds to the rest of the portfolio. Graphic India is a valuable addition to this mix, especially in the youth segment. We look forward to working with the company to create heroes that inspire the next generation of Indian consumers.?

Graphic India intends to launch numerous new projects in the upcoming year showcasing original stories from young breakthrough talent as well as established Indian and global icons.

The company has partnered with POW! Entertainment and Stan Lee, the legendary co-creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, Hulk, Iron Man, Hulk and The Avengers, to create his first superhero for the Indian market, Chakra The Invincible. The story centers on Mumbai teenager Raju Rai, who develops a technology-enhanced suit that activates the mystical chakras of the body, unleashing newfound abilities and powers. Lee will be collaborating with a team of leading Indian artists and creators to bring the new superhero to animation and comic books.

In addition to numerous new properties in production, Graphic India will release new digital content around the highly acclaimed comic books previously published by Liquid Comics, including:

• Devi, created by preeminent filmmaker Shekhar Kapur (Elizabeth; Mr. India; The Golden Age) features the story of an immortal goddess reincarnated as a young woman in the fictional Indian city of Sitapur, charged with using her super-heroic powers to save her city from demons and monsters.
• The Sadhu, created by Gotham Chopra, about a British colonial soldier who becomes trained by the Indian mystics known as Sadhus and uses his newfound abilities for justice and currently being developed as a theatrical live-action film in Hollywood.
• Ramayan 3392AD, a futuristic epic inspired by the classical Ramayana myth and currently being developed as a theatrical live-action film in Hollywood with Mandalay Entertainment.

Mumbai: A month after Peter Chernin?s company acquired 49 per cent stake, Endemol India has restructured its operations to keep in line with its growth strategy that will be built on four verticals - Television, Regional, Fims and Digital.

For the television vertical, the company has appointed Abhishek Rege, a senior executive at Viacom18 Media overlooking their business operations for the US, as chief operating officer. Doris Dey has moved from Balaji Telefilms to join as fiction head. She was creative director and also wrote scripts of shows like ?Bade Ache Lagte Hai?, ?Kya Hua Tera Waada?, ?Parichay? and ?Pavitra Rishta?.

"The last one year has been very exciting for Endemol India, with the new concepts being accepted wholeheartedly and the existing formats progressing to their much awaited seasons. As we move into our next phase of growth, it?s critical to have a structure that supports our ambitions and fuels expansion. Going ahead, our core focus will be on the four verticals," says Endemol India CEO Deepak Dhar.

The Endemol operational structure will have teams that will look after regional and films separately. The teams are in place and the company will announce their heads soon.

In the regional segment, Endemol will focus on developing content for regional TV channels.

The company will have both Hindi as well as regional films with Dhar directly overseeing the operations.

"We will soon launch and announce initiatives in the digital and film space," Dhar says.

On the television front, Rege will overlook strategic operations specific to the production of new shows while Dey will be responsible for driving the fiction properties and concepts that will engage and entertain the viewers.

"Abhishek and Doris come with a vast experience and I am convinced that both the professionals will drive our most ambitious phase," avers Dhar.

Endemol, the biggest non-fiction content producer in India, has big plans for fiction as well. "We are looking at producing Indian fiction content for international markets also. Its time for looking at fiction more seriously and we may look at retaining the IP," Dhar tells Indiantelevision.

On the non-fiction front, Endemol India will continue with its current structure. It does not have a head for non-fiction. Instead, the company has group heads for different formats like song & dance, reality and game shows.

The Chernin Group (TCG)?s Asian media investment arm CA Media had picked up 49 per cent stake in Endemol India last month. Incidentally, CA Media?s India head Rajesh Kamat earlier worked as chief executive officer of Endemol India.

Post stake sale, Endemol India?s plan is to grow as a leading producer of television, film and digital content.

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The Chernin Group (TCG)?s Asian media investment arm CA Media has started its innings in India with the acquisition of stakes in production house Endemol India and a music, live events and youth media company.

CA Media has picked up 49 per cent stake in Endemol India, a company where its chief executive officer Rajesh Kamat worked as India head. Incidentally, this is CA Media?s largest investment in Asia, though no financial details are revealed.

CA Media will help Endemol India grow as a leading producer of television, film and digital content. Endemol will seek to have a strong presence in the Indian film sector while boosting its presence on the television front.

?Endemol is a stable and mature business and is poised to leverage the growth explosion in the Indian content space. Our alliance will ensure that Endemol will achieve growth across screens, demographics and genres,? said Kamat.

Endemol India MD Deepak Dhar will lead the production house as CEO. Said Dhar: ?In CA Media we see a great strategic partner, which will help us in achieving inorganic growth. Our alliance with them will provide us with the expertise, relationships and resources for us to become a major player in Indian film and regional television, whilst further building our leading position in the entertainment space. We?re all extremely excited about this development and look forward to sharing further details of our plans in due course.?

Endemol India was set up in 2006 and has produced hit shows like Fear Factor, Big Boss and Deal or No Deal.

Dhar said that the company will soon restructure to focus on films, events and live events.

CA Media has also picked up an undisclosed minority stake in Only Much Louder (OML). This investment was done along with Zodius, an investor and operator of digital media, commerce and services.
 
CA Media is looking at OML Entertainment as developing into a youth power activator. Founded in 2002, it currently operates under a large-format music festivals division, a full-fledged production house, a digital wing and an artist management and bookings enterprise.

?OML operates in a category that?s nascent right now, but holds immense potential in time to come. With about 65 per cent of India?s population under 35 years, we are extremely bullish about the value that OML can unlock in this segment,? Kamat said.

Added OML Entertainment founder and CEO Vijay Nair, ?This investment marks a new phase in the evolution of OML where we will be focussing not only on live on-ground properties, but actively looking at amplifying them through television and digital media. CA Media and Zodius are the right partners to guide us and work with us on strategically scaling up OML and build it to its true potential.?

CA Media is eyeing further acquisitions in India. Kamat said that the company will be acquiring stake in media, entertainment, and technology sectors. It will also be investing directly in start-ups to create synergies in the businesses.

The company will initially focus on India, China and Indonesia in Asia. Its plan is to team up with local entrepreneurs, strategic partners, and financing sources to launch new enterprises, enhance the growth of businesses in their formative stages and selectively pursue later-stage transactions.

CA Media was formed in November 2010 by former News Corp president and COO Chernin and former Star head Paul Aiello. Later in April 2011, the company appointed former Colors CEO and Viacom18 COO Kamat as India CEO.

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