MUMBAI: Until now it was the mighty broadcaster who was going out and acquiring rights to international formats and then roping in a production house to localise the show. But now the tables seem to have turned with Miditech signing a production and licensing deal with Strix Television AB, which are the format owners of shows like Survivor amongst others.
As per the terms of this deal, Miditech will have exclusive Indian licensing and production rights to the entire Strix format catalogue in India, which tot up to 40 odd shows.
This deal, Miditech CEO Nikhil Alva believes, will open up new revenue streams for the production house from areas like mobile telephony, licensing and merchandising.
"The tie up will let Miditech localise the formats - a key factor that contributes to the success of international shows in an Indian context. And a lot of the shows in Strix's catalogue are what the next step in reality programming in the country is. It will also let us offer products in cost effective packages to broadcasters. Products that have a proven track records in many countries worldwide," Alva added.
However Alva refused to divulge the terms of the deal or the cost of acquiring the format rights. "We have taken over their catalog of shows to localize in India. There is a financial arrangement between us but it is a complicated one, which involves down payment, license fees, etc and I won't be able to divulge any numbers," he said.
Some of the shows that Strix has are Ruth 66, Paradise Lost, Floor Filler, 24th, The Farm, The Bar, Expedition Robinson, Casino, Backtrack, Kerrys Getting Married, The Control Commission, Insider, Solidarity, Club Goa, Harem, A Chef in the Family, Fat Resort, Tearing Down the House, No Smoking, Fame Factory, Villa medusa, 24 Hours, Class of 07, My Best Friend, Zoo Kitchen, Home Delivery, Did you get it?, I O U, Showdown, Mother & Daughter, Revenge.Com, Sybarite and Fight Club.
Strix CEO Robert Aschberg added, "We are delighted to enter into a fruitful and long-term alliance with Miditech since we have seen demand for Strix formats increase exponentially in India over the last few months. Miditech is a perfect fit for Strix with its great ability to produce high-quality programming for the Indian audiences and we are confident that Strix' catalogue will suit the Indian TV market splendidly."
The deal with Strix will also give Miditech an access to Strix's clients in the international market. "We will be able to market our own shows that we have made here to the international market via Strix. That will increase our presence internationally. We will also be producing pilots jointly with Strix and working with each others' ideation teams in order to bring out new formats," Alva added.
Some of the shows that Miditech has done recently are Indian Idol, Fame Gurukul, Deal or No Deal, Dance Dance, Playhouse Disney, MTV Bajoed! and MTV Roadies. It is also in the process of producing Galli Galli Sim Sim - the Indian version of Sesame Street for Cartoon Network and Pogo and Extreme Makeover for Sony Entertainment Television (SET) India.
