PTI 

MUMBAI, May 22: Entertainment company Eros International (EI) has launched a Bollywood channel on YouTube in a first parternership between the two.

The new channel will feature movie trailers, music videos and other exclusive footage from EI's rich catalogue of 1300 films which can be accessed worldwide.

"This is the first partnership between YouTube and a major content owner from the Indian film industry," EI said.

The new channel will be featured in YouTube's Partner Channels section and will include trailers from recent and upcoming movies like Provoked, Namastey London and Cheeni Kum.

Additional footage from exclusive film premieres and star interviews will be showcased on the channel.

The deal will allow Eros to monetize the channel from a share of advertising revenues generated by YouTube.

"The partnership with YouTube allows us to not only promote our content but also monetise it through advertising revenues. Legal online distribution of compelling content is an integral part of our new media strategy," Kishore Lulla, Chairman & CEO, EI said at the launch.

Eros also recently concluded a deal with OnCommand Video Corporation which is a leading provider of in-room entertainment technology to the lodging and cruiseship industries to supply its current and catalogue films for video-on-demand access within hotel chains across USA.

OnCommand is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation.

EI is actively pursuing the digital distribution business. Eros Music audio titles are already available on iTunes and Real Rhapsody, Lulla said.

Eros also has strategic distribution deals in place with Comcast, Intel Viiv, Mauj Telecom, Rogers Cable, Movielink, Tiscally Homechoice and RTL Holland.

Eros International is a well established global player in the fast-growing Indian media and entertainment arena.

Being vertically integrated means that Eros not only produces and commissions films like studios but it also distributes/exploits films across formats globally via cinemas, home entertainment, television formats and new media.

Established in 1977, Eros International has three decades of market leadership in creating a global platform for Indian cinema.

The company operates in over 50 countries with worldwide offices in India, UK, USA, Dubai, Australia, Fiji and the Isle of Man.

It has built a successful business model around the release of 30-40 new films every year and the exploitation of a film library containing more than 1,300 titles, making it one of the largest content owners in the business.

Global distribution Motion Pictures, Music, Home Entertainment, e-Television, New Media and Animation are the main Strategic Business Units of Eros.