UPDATED: An Interview with Kamal Gianchandani, COO, on the DVD Rental business and its prospects can be read here.
We had written about BigFlicks before as well. Now the Reliance movie entertainment portal has launched but not as a DVD rental portal as thought earlier but as a movie download and streaming service.
So lets answer questions one by one..
What is BigFlicks.com?
BigFlicks.com has launched as a online movie streaming and movie download service currently looking to go into offline sales and rent of DVD as per this article.
What will I be charged to view/download movie?
Viewing movies online will be FREE! But downloads would cost anywhere between 4.99$ to 20$.
How does BigFlicks plan to monetise free viewing?
BigFlicks plans to have pre movie and post movie ads.
How much money would Reliance invest in BigFlicks?
Like all is ventures BigFlicks would have a huge investment of 100M$ over the next 5 years.
Which ad agency will benefit from this money splurge?
Law & Keneth has been appointed as the agency for BigFlicks and the account size is expected to be 10 crores.
Who is the initial primary target audience for BigFlicks?
Currently BigFlicks is looking to arget the NRI market with online movie streaming and downloads. Rajesh Sawhney President Reliance Entertainment had this to say "We will be using the online medium considerably in the first stage for promotional activities as this will be targetted towards the online NRI audience. In the second stage, after the launch of the home delivery service in India, we will use other mass media like television."
What do i think of BigFlicks?
Any company with 100M$ backing should get somewhere im hoping. But on a serious note i think there is tremendous potential in the movie business and the good part here is the online streaming is FREE. Which is a big plus for BigFlicks. It looks like someone is finally acknowledging the digital revolution and the fact that digital content is free take it or leave it. Im not too sure about their download strategy and its revenues though. As far as dvd rentals is concerned im still to figure out how all the dvd rental guys i.e. SeventyMM, HomeView – Delhi, Friday Box Office – Bangalore, ClixFlix – Mumbai would be able to compete with piracy both online and offline and also multiplexes. Currently both of these seem like bigger competitors to them than each other.
(Via – Exchange4media & AgencyFaqs)
Big Flicks is Big Flops!
First, they have a messed up download system, which cant deal/identify pop-up blockers, and suggest the use accordingly.
Secondly, the Reliance Calling Card Groups is kind-of forcing/deceiving its customers in USA- by offereing discount-coupns for movies on Phone-cards to register for their Big-Flicks site.
Only after paying for the coupon with calling-card, and registering for the Big-flicks site, the customer will come to know that the coupon only gets him/her all the Trashy movies.
Third, the movies are so expensive, and we get better deals of HINDI movies from American Companies – (BlockBuster.com has hindi movies, limited though).
Fourth, the number of Softwares/ActiveX controls etc. required to be installed by the site are simply too many, junk-loads for a computer.
The site is quite slow too.
I didnt like the experience of the site, and feel deceived, that I payed for a coupon and, have not been able to get movie yet.