For movie studios, star's value goes beyond screen: Production houses, new-age businesses sign licensing deals to cash in on their popularity

Mumbai: Production houses such as Balaji Telefilms and Alphonso Studios, and media advisory firms such as Auraska Ventures focused on new-age businesses are inking licensing pacts with film and television personalities in a bid to unlock monetisation opportunities around their personal brands.

Looking to diversify their investments, these studios and advisory firms are starting to treat talent as IP, with actors such as Kushal Tandon, Tejaswi Prakash and Surbhi Chandna, as well as a few A-list stars bound by non-disclosure agreements being part of such deals, according to company executives.

Media experts highlighted that as the lines between digital and traditional media blur, an actor's value increasingly extends beyond on-screen performances to their public persona, gestures, opinions and personal choices, creating new monetisation opportunities. "We saw a clear void for television actors," said Nitin Burman, chief revenue officer, Balaji Telefilms.


"It was natural for us to build a platform that gives these artists a place in the digital space." "As AI gains more popularity, it is important for artists to have their voice and digital image licensed in a structured and protected manner," he said. "Our role is to create the right opportunities and the right framework for them."

ET has reviewed one such agreement containing terms of a talent licensing deal. Such agreements, typically valid for three to five years, allow companies to license, sub-license and distribute a talent's content to third-party platforms during the contract period, law firms said. Studios such as Alphonso Studios are building digital wallets of talent, bringing artists together on a platform to facilitate licensing deals. Alphonso has created a digital twin wallet that will feature more than 200 artists.

"We are going to have licensing deals with over 200 artists," said a spokesperson for Alphonso Studios. "This will be a consent-based digital representation across films, series, advertising and live events. We are developing 11 hybrid-format devotional feature films which will have artists' digital twin avatars in them."

Law firms said talent across films, television and other formats is increasingly being viewed as intellectual property that can be licensed and monetised.

"In an increasingly digital economy, a celebrity's name and other distinctive attributes are capable of being licensed and monetised," said Priyanka Sinha, co-founder and partner at law firm A&P Partners. "Talent has, in effect, become a new class of intellectual property. Production houses and other entities are increasingly drawn to the talent licensing model because it offers additional revenue compared with conventional content production."

A recent instance of how a celebrity's statement can be turned into IP is actor Ravi Kishan's "Pehchaan. Money follows my brother, money follows" line on a podcast, which was turned into a song by leading music label T-Series.

'Imagine if a firm had a licensing agreement with actor Ravi Kishan," said Neeraj Joshi, a film marketing and strategy consultant. "They could have monetised this statement in so many ways."

Beyond the prospect of relatively stable returns, the long-term monetisation potential of talent-led IP is a key draw for investors.

"Personality rights and digital avatars of film celebrities have become valuable commodities," said Vishal Mahajan, founder and CEO at Auraska Ventures, a firm focused on alternative and new-age businesses.