One of the country’s leading Home Video Publishers, Excel Home Videos is making a foray into the interactive space. Christened as ‘Excel Interactive’ the new venture will be involved in publishing and the distribution of interactive content via physical, wireless and online media. The company is expected to announce some big ticket tie ups in the near future.
“Having one of the largest distribution networks in India and reaching practically every corner of the country, Since October ’05 we were on the lookout for products that would overlap with our product category and compliment our distribution pipeline and Retail presence” Excel Productions AudioVisuals Pvt. Ltd. (The holding company of both Excel Home Videos & Excel Interactive) Managing Director Muslim Kapasi told Animation Xpress.com
“We short-listed two categories, Music and Interactive. Music has many players and content often acquired in perpetuity is seen declining in its physical form, on the other hand we see Interactive products’ demand growing and hence the obvious choice – to add Interactive content in our portfolio. Oct ’06, we will have a full fledged Interactive division under Excel Interactive” he added.
The Interactive division will draw upon the strength of Excel’s current distribution pipeline and will extrapolate its Retail presence on ground through the Home Videos’ network. “We will add a focus team that will not only look for new product acquisitions but drive marketing and alternate revenue streams in the long term” stated Kapasi.
The search is on at Excel Interactive for a new Business head, who according to Kapasi would have to be “Essentially a gamer but yet having entrepreneurial skills and business acumen to drive it from the front”
The publisher has quite a few innovative marketing plans up its sleeves which would tap the synergy between the home video and interactive platform.
“Besides distribution overlap, we have fantastic synergistic marketing opportunities using both platforms in conjunction to help grow… a movie watcher (especially the kinds we distribute) is often found to be a gamer and vice-versa!” shared Kapasi.
Excel is currently in the process of moving to its new Corporate Headquarters at Powai which would house more than 50 people across three divisions.