'We hope to introduce additional brands under Universal+ portfolio on Jio TV'

NBCUniversal recently launched DreamWorks and E! in India through a multi-year partnership with telecom giant Reliance Jio. Christine Fellowes, Managing Director, NBCUniversal International Networks& DTC, Asia Pacific, spoke to exchange4media about the company's expansion strategy for the Indian market.

NBC Universal has launched DreamWorks and E! in India via a partnership with Jio TV. What opportunity do you see here?
I joined NBC Universal in 2011 after it was acquired by Comcast. This is the first launch of our brand, channels, and services in India. NBC Universal has had a long-term relationship with many of the major entertainment companies in India. Our company has licenced content to a number of major companies. We know that Indian audiences have seen some of that content on other channels and we know that there is a fan base for our content which gave us a lot of confidence in launching our businesses.

There are two new developments. We have just launched hayu on 1st December which has an all reality subscription app. We have also launched Universal+ service on Jio TV and Jio TV+. Within the brand Universal+, we are introducing on-demand content channels DreamWorks and E!.

Any specific reasons for launching Universal+ service only on Jio TV?
Jio is not only the world's largest mobile data network but they are also transforming the media landscape in India. We partner with market leaders around the world. Jio is looking for premium brands and best-in-class partners so they were obvious partners for us. They are excited about us bringing studio-quality entertainment and family brands like DreamWorks and pop culture brand E! which has a great appetite for Hollywood content as well. There was a natural fit with our companies as well as with our brands connecting with Jio TV and Jio TV+.

What kind of partnership do you have with Jio?
We can't share details of our commercial relationships with them but we have a multi-year deal with Jio. They offer a subscription service and we are sitting in their premium service. At this stage, it is Universal+ service with DreamWorks and E! and we hope that we can bring additional brands to sit within that portfolio.

Will you launch these services on other platforms?
This is our launch in India and Jio is an amazing partner for us to be with. At NBC Universal, we invest billions of dollars in quality content production each year across our movie studios, independent studios, broadcast and cable production business, and Sky production business. We have an enormous pipeline of content and a vast portfolio of brands. Our intention is to bring these brands and as much content as possible to the Indian audience through a number of different platforms. We believe that there are lots of opportunities whether it is through our channels, branded SVOD destinations like Universal+, and licensing content. We are looking at an ongoing growth business in India.

Which are the other products and services that you will launch in India?
We are representing a number of brands in the region that I think will be interesting for the Indian market. Brands like Oxygen have been an incredibly successful genre of true crime that women particularly seem to love. Bravo is a big lifestyle reality brand. Studio Universal is our classic movie service. Telemundo is a contemporary Spanish drama platform. There are lots of opportunities for us to build new branded destinations in India.

Who is your key target audience in the Indian market?
Universal+ is a premium service targeted at urban audiences. We are curating content specifically for Indian tastes. 

There are two core areas that we are focused on. The first one is around the DreamWorks brand and this is a channel with complete on-demand content that we are programming specifically for Indian audiences. This is for parents and children and we have tailored the schedule as per the Indian time zone. It has high-quality animation content which has characters that are very well-known in India. DreamWorks is a family destination for kids and parents. It is loved by parents because it is safe and has educational content. We have a pre-school block for 2 to 5 years old. 

E! is a pop culture service and it is the only global brand that is about pop culture so it is kind of Hollywood and what's happening in the lives of Hollywood celebrities. It also covers fashion and music and all the areas of pop culture. We believe that there is a really strong fan base for E! in India. Having had our programming in the past in India has been a great opportunity for us to test content. We are confident that we will be able to reach a large urban audience in India.

Will you continue to licence content to Indian platforms wow that NBC Universal is having a direct presence?