Netflix picks up Baahubali rights for Rs 25.5 cr, film has earned Rs 1700 cr at BO

In a bid to strengthen its presence in India, streaming service Netflix has acquired the rights to stream SS Rajamouli’s epic Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, reports Mint.

Quoting an unnamed source, the paper said that the deal is worth $4 million (around Rs 25.5 crore). Netflix, which entered the Indian market 18 months back, said that it is doubling down on its Indian investment.

“On the content front we are doubling down on Indian investment to curate a compelling content library encompassing original and licensed titles. We are touching a pool of consumers with a great passion for diverse entertainment, offering global originals like Narcos, Stranger Things, The Crown and mainstream, star-driven Indian films that have wide appeal (e.g. our Shah Rukh Khan titles or recent acquisitions of top ones like Dangal and Baahubali),” said Jessica Lee, vice-president (communications), Netflix, in an emailed statement.

Netflix was ranked No. 9 among video-streaming apps in terms of monthly active usage in the first half of this year. This was based on the data collected across Andriod phones by app analytics firm App Annie Inc, the newspaper reported. Baahubali could potentially be a game changer in terms of viewership.

The newspaper quoted Shobu Yarlagadda, co-founder and CEO of Arka Mediaworks, the company that produced the Baahubali films as saying that they were excited to partner with Netflix.

“Netflix is very bullish about the India market and is here for the long term. It is looking to acquire both licensed content and make originals but won’t lap up everything,” said Shobu Yarlagadda.

“We are very happy and excited to partner with Netflix. Theatrically, its not possible to reach all markets, but with this deal Baahubali will reach 192 countries seamlessly,” added Yarlagadda.

The film has been a record-breaker at the box office too. It made over Rs 40 crore on day one of its release and went on to become the first Indian film to gross over Rs 1,000 crore.

Having earned close to Rs 1700 crore in 100 days since its release, the film is India’s second highest earner ever, reports Firstpost.

Last week, Netflix said it will produce two more original series in India: Selection Day, based on a book by Booker prize-winner Aravind Adiga which chronicles a story of cricket and corruption, and a detective show written by Marisha Mukerjee called Again.

“On the originals front, just like what we have done in Europe and Latin America, where we have become a leading producer and distributor of high-quality content, we want to do the same for India and we are excited about our upcoming Indian originals, Sacred Games, Selection Day and Again,” said Lee.

Netflix is all set to open its first office in India later this year in Mumbai.