Ek Tha Tiger fetches Rs750 million for TV rights

MADIHA AZHAR

KARACHI: Salman Khan’s highly-awaited blockbuster ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ has reportedly fetched its producers Yash Raj Films (YRF) a whopping Rs. 750 million. The amount is the biggest a Bollywood film has ever fetched for television rights.

Sources say that Sony Entertainment, that has a tie-up with YRF for all their films, had closed the deal for the film’s television broadcast rights about a year ago, while the movie was still under-production.

In a recent development, Sony has agreed to pay the enormous sum as they are certain they will recover more than the amount invested.

Khan’s most awaited film of the year is slated for a big screen release on August 15 and is said to have its premiere on TV around Diwali.

Sources at Sony have yet to confirm the figure. “The deal has been struck with YRF to telecast Ek Tha Tiger, but the amount is probably not as huge as it is being suggested,” a channel source said.

The source added, “Satellite right deals are made on the basis of the status of a star and the interest of advertisers. Advertisers have full faith in the success of Ek Tha Tiger, having already sensed a large television viewership for the film. So, channel should not have any problem in paying a huge price for the rights.”

Trade experts say that it is too early to predict film’s profit rates. However, Rs750 million for satellite rights is a strong indicator that the Rs 1.17 billion budget Khan-Kaif starrer could push the film towards the Rs. 2 billion mark, further cementing Khan’s dominance in B-Town.