Making films for pay-TV broadcasters is a good alternative for small-and-independent producers for making their presence felt in the initial years of their career before going in for making big-budget films. This is one of the suggestions put forth in a report by Rabo India Finance.

The report, The Indian Motion Picture Industry: A Structural and Financial Perspective, was released on Friday at Ficci-Frames 2003, a three-day global meet for the Inidan entertainment industry.

Made-for-television films will help small producers in gaining 'successful track record' in producing films within stipulated time and prescribed budgets, the report said.

"Today, the main concern of small producers is that they do not have the financial capabilities to produce films. Their financial health and long-term sustainability is closely related to the performance of each of their films compared with larger producers, who have benefits of portfolio diversification and stronger financial backing. Made-for-television films will help small producers in setting their foot into film making and largely build their brand equity," said Sunir Kheterpal, head (media and entertainment), Rabo India, and the author of the report.

Made-for-television films is the third option that small producers can consider, apart from the other two options: making a film by arranging finance through family, friends and relatives; or approach big producers and seek co-productions with them.

Kheterpal said, "In the US and rest of the world, made-for-television films form a large component of the total films produced. Majority of such films are never screened in theatres and are made exclusively for home video and pay-TV broadcasting. In India, this concept has not been experimented significantly in the past due to high costs involved in producing such films vis-a-vis a television software."

In recent times, select TV software providers in India have been accompanied with high production values, which has been made possible due to higher propensity among pay-TV broadcasters  towards increasing their programming budgets.

Kheterpal said, "Shrinking cost differential between a small film and big-budget TV software content may induce production of made-for-television films on a large scale over the coming months. The advent of direct-to-home in India will also lead to an increase in the requirement of specialty content by pay-TV broadcasters."

According to the report, small producers will be ideally placed to benefit from such a scenario. First, they may be able to get advances (partially production financing) from pay-TV broadcasters for their projects. Secondly, their projects will get a pan-India marketing and promotional push on the pay-TV platform.

More importantly, making films for TV will automatically establish them as producers with track record.

Even films can be completed within stipulated budgets and prescribed timeframe.

In due course of time, these producers can diversify into making big films for theatrical distribution and exhibition, the report added.