Television channels in Kerala are now assuming a new role that of film producers. No, what prompted them is not mega bucks but the recent diktat issued by the film producers association to its members, which disallows producers from giving song clips or scenes of new films to private TV channels. TV crews have also been barred from covering film shootings. Hence, TV channels which rely mostly on songs and movie clippings for their daily telecast have decided to be one up on the producers association by getting into production of feature films.

The first in the series is the outright purchase of Sussanna (directed by TV Chandran) by Asianet. Next on the cards is a film to be directed by noted screenplay writer and novelist M T Vasudevan Nair. The proposed CPM-backed channel also will be producing a movie for director Adoor Gopalakrishnan.

Film production by TV channels will help them rake in more profit. A premiere release of the film on a TV channel generates an advertisement revenue of around Rs 20 lakh. Later, if sold to DD it gets another Rs 2 lakh; if it gets selected for state/national award or is included in a Panorama, it gets classified under A grade and its telecast fees shoots up to Rs 6 lakh. An amount of Rs 4 lakh is then assured as subsidy from the Kerala govt. In addition, audio and overseas video rights are also another form of revenue. The total cost of the film will thus be covered in the first telecast itself and all other income will be a profit.

So, interestingly the producers' association's ban has turned into a boon for the TV channels and they might be having the last laugh.