Bollywood gambles on Kazaa

[icernet-admin at listserv.cddc.vt.edu]

Bollywood movie fans will soon be able to download full-length features with
the file-sharing software Kazaa. A deal struck between a partner of Sharman
Networks Ltd, the company which owns Kazaa, and IndiaFM.com, a popular
entertainment site, will allow Indian film producers to distribute movies,
music and other large, rich media files online to an estimated 60 million
international Kazaa users. The move follows a pilot scheme in November when
Bollywood thriller Supari was offered for sale at US$2.99 (£1.69) and
promoted through Kazaa prior to its release in India. The file was designed
to self destruct after being watched and could not be copied. India's film
industry, dominated by Bombay's Hindi-language hit factory, churns out about
1,000 features every year. This deal is expected to bypass the complicated
and expensive film distribution system in the country.  But with internet
users numbering only about 10 million out of India's population of a
billion, it is the 20 million Indians overseas who will be the short-term
beneficiaries this deal.

Source:
http://film.guardian.co.uk/bollywood/story/0,11871,1112281,00.html