Sony Pix bets on English films with Indian flavour

KOLKATA: Facing tough competition from new entrants, Sony Pix is now trying to create a niche in the Rs 250-crore Hollywood movie channel market by concentrating on broadcasting English movies with an Indian flavour.

"Unlike our rivals, we are the only English movie channel based out of India. We want to show Hollywood films, but with an Indian connection. It's all about context. We want the Indian viewers to strongly identify with the movies shown on our channel," Sony Pix business head Sunder Aaron said in Kolkata.

The channel -- from the Multi Screen Media stable -- has been pitched against stalwarts like HBO and Star Movies in the Rs 250-crore English movie channel market.

"With a market share of around 25 per cent from the present 20 per cent, we want to be right there on top with market leaders in the next couple of years," Aaron said.

Keen on screening a spread of English language Indian films, Pix has acquired airing rights for films like Aparna Sen's '15 Park Avenue' and Oscar-winning 'Slumdog Millionaire'.

Pix will also hold the world television premiere of the critically-acclaimed 'Shadows of Time', a romantic Bengali language German film, directed by Academy Award-winning director Florian Gallenberger.