There will be a shakeout soon?

On a short visit to India, Jonathan Spink, CEO, HBO Asia, is amazed at the rash of television channel launches that are taking place here. He met Business Today’s Shamni Pande to discuss HBO’s plans in India. Excerpts: HBO is facing stiff competition from Hindi movie and general entertainment channels.

Q How do you propose to tackle this?
A We had a weak 2006 and 2007, but have made a strong comeback this year and are at par with STAR Movies. Our focus is on beefing up content. Our strength remains our ability to offer new movie titles that have been big box office grossers globally. We have exclusive agreements with Sony, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers and Paramount/DreamWorks and have titles like Superman Returns, Ghost Rider, Happy Feet and Mr Bean’s Holiday.

Q Do you view the launch of new channels as a threat?
A I am simply amazed by the tempo of activity here. No other market is witnessing this kind of frenzy. But I’m not sure if everyone is very clear on the real mechanics of growth in this space, and I expect that there will be a shakeout in a few years.

Q What are your plans for the country?
A We are thinking of making our channel commercial-free, like we have done elsewhere and this will pan out as DTH grows in the country.