Businessweek Extra Extra - Kishore Lulla

with a Hollywood studio called STX. We talked a lot about the media landscape, but we also spent a minute talking about the state of the world. And I gotta tell you this will change. In Keyshore's words, your vibrations. Yeah, it's all about raising the vibrational level and really just taking in what's going on around the world and how do you create those conversations that make a difference. I have to say his conversation stayed with me big time.

Before we get to to the world of entertainment, I do want to ask you sort of about your view of the world. You spend a lot of time sort of moving around, you know, obviously in India, but time in London, time in California, and I wonder, you know, this moment where we are, uh, you know, June eight. I'm not sure anybody anticipated that was going to to look like this. What do you make of it? What

does the world feel like to you right now? See? Um, you know, manager, I always think there's a silver lining and everything, So there could be some silver lining coming

out of this COVID nineteen. Everybody's blaming, but you know, from my entertainment point of view, I think the way I'm looking at it, say, suppose the company we have fifty percent traffic comes from the studio model, comes from the ot D model because of the COVID of course, you know, because of the theaters closing down and people are unlod ob theaters, but that is getting compensated from

our ot D platform. So what we have seen in the last three months, the engagement has grown up by on our traffic, whether it's iOS or Android or that traffic. And also the engagement levels by the consumer, which goes around spending about seventy minutes per day, has gone to about fourteen minutes. So that's a lot of you know, rise in that and that's the silver lining for us. So I'm not sure whether this is the last, uh,

you know, when the theater comes back. So I suppose if you go back hundred years, so let's assume when there were only theaters, when then the black and white television came in, Then the color television came in, and then you had VHS, DVD, everything came in, and everybody was talking about, oh no, that format will disappear. In fact, what we have seen the industry growing worldwide and the new formats kept on coming. But the consumer had the choice to watch the content in the way they wanted,

and the pie grew. So I think, you know, whatever has happened in the last three to four months, of course, I think the governments have decided that when to end the lockdown and when the people can go back to the theaters. People are resilient, people want to go back to the normal life. I think with whether the vaccine or some other self distancing rules, you would see the normalcy and the life of the theaters people coming back.

But in the meanwhile, the studios and the content makers are a bit worried, saying that until the theaters does open. So therefore, you've secene whether in Hollywood or in Bollywood. The Hollywood have seen the movie state of we're going to streaming platforms, whether it is by Peacock or whether it's by Netflix, or whether Prime or whether Apple. You've seen a big movie by Apple, you know, the Tom Hanks movie directly going to Apple platforms. So in that way,

the content owners are going to make money. Of course, I think the Bible will grow h it's just adapting to the new norms uh and the new ways of

watching content. And also if you look at the next three to five years, the way we're going to consume content with the world which is coming in the VR, MR A R, of course, the consumption of the consumer will have a different way of consuming the content, and I think the pipe for the content owners will go only so key sure, I guess you know, what do you think dramatically changes in our world because of what

we've all been experienced by the virus? You know, you've talked a little bit about, you know, streaming versus kind of the more traditional forms of distribution. Is there anything that really sticks longer term? I see? I think still for the big great movies, the theaters will be the place to watch. But you will see that for the next three to six months will be difficult for theaters. Until the people come back and until people feel secure and on self distancing, you will see a lot of

releases coming on OTT definitely striving business. You have seen that all the odd businesses outsiding under the circumstances and also the consolidation which is happening. You saw a d n D acquiring Wanna and then you know measure of Disney and Fox, and then you know Netflix, you know where it has gone in the subscription level and Apple getting into the free And that's what we were thinking that how do we see as EROS. We were thinking that we have two businesses, as I said, Eros Studio

and Eros now the ot D business. The OTT business is driving in a big way, and Eros Theatrical is taking a hit definitely, but that is getting compensated by the digital business. So when we did merge with st X,

the Hollywood Studio, that's was the thinking. You'll see the premium content UH is getting more costlier and costlier because the consumer wants to watch the content Beat theater, b TV, Beat Bay Television or BEAT pay per view or beat ot T o t T has just become the easier method because of the bench watch and they can you know, engage with the shows or the movies whenever they want. They don't have to make an appointment with the television or they don't have to make the appointment to go

and watch the movie in the theater. And that's the reason we have seen the consumption on the OTIT going out. What will drive the future in the business, as I said, the new new formats and also now the language language because of this new OTIT platforms. You've seen Spanish shows, You've seen different languages on Prime Video, on Netflix that are getting really a lot of attraction. So hence the

language will not be a barrier. So if the content will have no language, it can come from India, it can come You saw Parasite, a movie from Korea getting the Oscars this time in the main stream, and that's what is getting transformed. The ot T is taking out the barriers and for the world to come under one unified world to watch content. And that's what is going to happen. I think in the future you will see

a lot of interactive content being made. You will see in the next coming one or two years, immersive content being made that you will getting immersed into the content, and that's possible because of the technology and not saying the theaters will go away. The theaters will go exist, but the pie will increase. So I think as see, you know when we had DVD. When DVD disappeared, people thought, oh, you know the studios which are making so much money

from DVD, where the money will come from. In fact, the pipe grow more than DVD revenue, which came because of the odd platform or the digital so similar kind of you know, the biggest I think if you look at in the last fifty years, the biggest thing which happened first was the Internet in eighties, then it was the smartphone in late two thousand and I think the biggest innovation of all, bigger than the Internet and bigger than the smartphones, will be the A R V R

M R going forward, and that's going to give us more revenues. But ultimately what will happen it's the premium content. Is the content getting reformatted into different formats and the consumer chooses. You see, you cannot stop consumer to choose what they want to watch and when they want to watch, because they want to be in control, and the content owners think that they can be in control and they can h you know, force consumer to watch it through

the medium. I think that fund happened so the belt picture to get the best conton out and let the consumer decide what they want to watch and when they want to watch and through which medium. Right, all right,

So I have to ask you. You and I sat together in acron Ohio a few years back, and I was really impressed by not just your view of the content world, in the entertainment world, but sort of your view of life candidly, um and you talked a lot about sort of what it takes to be a good person, what it takes to sort of put the right vibe

out in the world. And I've thought about that a lot in this sort of world that we're living in right now, and you know, all this despair and all this anger and protests, and I wonder what what you make of it from that perspective right now. See, it's very important as a global community to help that all over by the sansistors of every color. You know, That's what I believe in. And the other thing, you see, I believe that you know, you It's all about the

vibrations and the thoughts. You know, you get about six thoughts today and what do what the talks? You think? If you think negatively, you see that comes back to you then X. So my message is clear that you know, be careful on every thought which is being emitted out of you because whatever you're thinking, if it is not positive, it will come back to you at an X. So please accept the responsibility when that comes back to you.

So therefore, be responsible and think always positive and at a higher vibration so that you know you make the life good for you, but also for the community living there, you know, and I think if everybody can raise the thought level and the vibrational level, the whole community will be so good place to live and peace. So you know, eminate peace, emanate positivity and I bet you that will come back to you. So don't emanate anger. You know when you emmanate anger, that comes back to you only.

So just emanate positivity. And that's Keyshorta, chairman founder of Aerros International, again the netflix of Bali Wood doing a big deal to expand their global empire. But also a very thoughtful guy. You know, someone who i've learned a lot from over the years just in terms of how he views world. And even after this interview, who is sending me emails with articles and little quotes here and there. It really does sort of change your mindset. So grateful

to him for spending some time. And I'm just gonna say, I'm making t shirts that say raise the vibrational level. I'm going to do it all right, you've been listening to Bloomberg Business Week Extra, be sure to tune into Bloomberg Business Week Radio Live Money through Friday at two pm Wall Street Time on Bloomberg Radio. I'm Jason Kelly and I'm Carol Masser, and this is Bloomberg