Verizon FiOS Says Hooray for Bollywood

Whether it’s the sweeping romance, the pageant-like dance numbers or simply the sheer vibrancy of the film genre, Bollywood has been gathering casual fans outside of its core domestic Indian base. Verizon (News - Alert) is giving its FiOS TV customers the opportunity to become Bollywood dilettantes with an a-la-carte film option that lets viewers rent video-on-demand (VOD) titles outside of subscribing to an Indian TV add-on package.

"Verizon FiOS (News - Alert) customers who want to enjoy Bollywood movies from time to time can now do so without having to commit to a monthly package," said Ken Naz, president of North America at Eros International, which handles the global distribution for the films on offer. "[We] are pleased to expand the availability and enjoyment of Bollywood blockbusters, including many new releases, to as wide an audience as possible in an unparalleled all-digital and on-demand TV experience. We hope these films will find new audiences with mainstream viewers sampling the genre for the first time to discover the spectacular world of Bollywood at home."

Previously, the titles were available only at an additional $7.99 per month for the Bollywood Hits On Demand package, which offers unlimited access to the IPTV (News - Alert) operator’s entire catalog of Hindi-language films.

Now, viewers can order individual movies at $4.99 each for new releases and $2.99 each for library titles. Verizon will offer four Bollywood Hits On Demand movie titles at any given time, and most of the new release titles will be available before their DVD debut.

FiOS TV customers can find Bollywood Hits On Demand in the Premium Channels video-on-demand folder under Bollywood Music & Movies. The a la carte offerings can be found in the Movies section by going to the International folder and selecting Bollywood.