Broadcast company Sony Pictures Networks India Pvt Ltd has inked a deal with Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan's film production house Red Chillies Entertainments Pvt Ltd for co-production of television, digital and film content.
Under the agreement, Sony Pictures Networks, (earlier known as Multi Screen Media) has also acquired the television rights for Khan's upcoming movie Dilwale, a statement from the company said.
“This alliance of MSM and Red Chillies is expansive and pans a spectrum of co-produced content not only across television and digital but also films,” NP Singh, CEO of Sony Pictures Networks, said.
Financial terms of the deal however remained undisclosed.
Earlier this year, MSM Motion Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Networks, had partnered with film production company Yash Raj Films for the worldwide theatrical distribution of its film Piku.
The tie-up with Red Chillies may help the broadcaster get back in the reckoning in the Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) space – a genre where it has been losing its grip.
Red Chillies too has had limited exposure to television programming and its offerings are likely to appear new and fresh to audiences.
"In a first for us, we are entering into a partnership with MSM, that will explore content production across different platforms - TV, digital and films," Venky Mysore, CEO, Red Chillies Entertainments said.
Sony Pictures Networks' bouquet of channels include Hindi GEC Sony Entertainment Television (SET), Hindi movies and special events channel MAX 2, family comedy entertainment channel SAB, English movie channel PIX, English entertainment channel AXN, Hindi music channel MIX, sports channel SIX; Sony KIX, a youth-centric sports channel Sony KIX besides Sony LIV - the digital entertainment channel.