Entertainment - Colors ink syndication deal with UTV for 27 movies

Gaurav Leghate

MUMBAI: Viacom18's Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) Colors has entered into a syndication deal with UTV for a slate of 27 movies on a non exclusive basis.

Colors will have the rights for five airings spread over two and a half years.

Interestingly, Zee network also has a syndication deal to telecast 21 UTV movies for its Hindi general entertainment channel Zee TV and movie channel Zee Cinema.


Confirms UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Roy Kapur, "We have signed a syndication deal with Colors for 27 movies. After UTV Movies, Colors will have the right to air the movies.”

What this means is that Colors will get to telecast the movies, for which it has purchased the rights, ahead of Zee. UTV, however, will get to screen the movies first on its Hindi movie channel.

"Since we are not in direct competition with UTV Movies, it does not matter to us if we get to screen the movies after them. But we will have the opportunity to show these movies earlier than competing channel Zee TV," says a source in Colors.

The titles Colors has access to include popular films like Jodhaa Akbar, Fashion, Race, Aamir, Mumbai Meri Jaan, A Wednesday, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Kismet Konnection and Jannat.


The slate also includes library films from UTV like Halla Bol, Aap Ka Suroor, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal, Hatrick, Sirf, Mumbai Salsa, Speed, Aap Mujhe Acche Lagne Lage, Khatta Meetha,
Yeh Dil, Teesri Aankh, Sirf, Jung, Fir Kabhee and Mitr My Friend.

Zee, however, will be screening two of UTV's biggest blockbusters - Taare Zameen Par and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na.

In the fiercely competitive Hindi GEC space, Colors has upstaged Zee TV. For shoring up their ratings, the channels are backing up their regular diet of drama and reality content with big movies on weekends.

Colors had earlier acquired two-year telecast rights for 55 Sahara movies for multiple airings through a deal with Baba Arts. The list of films include No Entry, Guru, Sarkar, Page3, Dor, Jo Bole So Nihaal, and Sandwich.



Colors also has a 16-film deal with Eros International that encapsulates titles from both their upcoming and old list. The list includes films like Om Shanti Om, Heyy Baby, One Two Three, Dus Kahanniya, Sunday and Black and White.

Additionally, Colors' movie library also boasts of some of Studio18's titles like Welcome, Bhootnath and Singh is Kinng.