The Israel Mobile and Communication Association, which claims to represent over 100 companies (their website lists 80) which offer VAS and infrastructure solutions, has inked a deal with Bollywood studio Shemaroo Entertainment. The IMA will use this tie-up and Shemaroo content to develop operator relationships in India - their products and services will come bundled with "popular Indian content" according to Eyal Reshef, Founder & CEO of IMA. Six member companies of the IMA are on a roadshow, and will be showcasing their applications to operators in India. According to ChannelTimes, Shemaroo will initially showcase the products to operators, and based on which applications the operators select, the basis of profit sharing between the IMA and Shemaroo will be defined. So this works out rather well for both sides - the IMA gets content to sell their apps with, and Shemaroo gets additional revenue from their Bollywood content. Do note that Shemaroo has a WAP site - http://wap.shemaroo.com - and had, last month, offered Shilpa Shetty Yoga videos to Vodafone, Tata Teleservices, RCom, Airtel, BPL and Idea subscibers. I wonder if the IMA members are aware of revenue shares in India. If not, I'm sure they'll find out soon enough. A VAS co eying the Indian market had once told me about their visit to an Indian telco - they were rather pleased to hear that the revenue share is 80-20, until they realized that it's 80 for the operator, and 20 for the VAS company. :D
