India, Oct. 10 -- October 25 will see the launch of Ideabaaz, a startup reality show on ZeeTV and its streaming service Zee5. The business show, an original Intellectual Property (IP), is the storytelling layer of the digital marketplace of the same name that connects early-stage startups from India's small towns with investors, and service providers. The reality show will amplify the stories of discovering, mentoring and funding entrepreneurs from tier 2 and tier 3 cities to a larger audience. The Ideabaaz IP is owned by Ideabaaz Tech Pvt. Ltd., a company created specifically to build and scale this platform as a long-term asset. Broadcast sector expert Raj Nayak who helped create the IP for the company said building original Indian intellectual properties is the way forward for the country's content ecosystem which is facing challenges. In July, Nayak launched his new venture House of IP in partnership with Yaap Digital, a digital content and influencer marketing agency. Although the Ideabaaz IP is not owned by Nayak's company, it is one of the first projects it is consulting on. House of IP is a studio that creates, curates and scales intellectual properties in entertainment, sports, music, digital formats, and branded experiences. "The company provides everything from creative development to Go-To-Market strategy, brand integration, and monetization pathways", Nayak said. To be sure, India's entertainment industry has lagged its western counterpart in creating original IPs. "In India, most content has traditionally been commissioned by broadcasters or brands, so creators rarely owned what they built," Nayak said. "Also, typically, platforms or networks which own the IPs here haven't done much with them either," added Rajiv Chilaka, founder and CEO of Green Gold Animation, best known for creating the hugely popular animation series Chhota Bheem that first aired on children's TV channel Pogo 17 years ago. Chilaka said of the 16 IPs the studio has created, Chhota Bheem has been the strongest with a sizeable licensing and merchandise business. In a bid to further monetize the IP, Green Gold recently announced a partnership with the EBG Group to open Chhota Bheem themed cafes in Hyderabad in December and later across the country. The cafes will bring the Green Gold universe to life through interactive play zones, storytelling corners, licensed merchandise, and animated characters like Chhota Bheem, Chutki, Mighty Raju etc. Chilaka said creating successful original IPs isn't easy. "Multiple things need to align for an IP to work including the studio that creates it and the network that airs it. Besides, sustaining it is hard work. You need a team of lawyers to ensure all the copyrights are in order and constant activity to keep it energized, top of mind and relevant to today's audience," Chilaka said. In a highly competitive industry, networks find it risky to build something new. "So, they go with the tried and tested global formats and adapt them for Indian audiences," Chilaka said. "Creating something from scratch requires big investment in marketing especially when your competition includes live entertainment, sports and social media platforms," he said. But Nayak spots an opportunity. "Our industry wasn't built around ownership but now everyone wants to create their own IPs," he said. "Owning an IP is like owning cultural capital. It grows in value over time and can live across languages, platforms, and geographies," Nayak said. Successful IPs make your business secure and lend you the power to dictate terms, added Chilaka: "It is like having a star in your control." Some of the world's biggest entertainment and sports properties are built on owned IPs. Indian IPs that set new benchmarks include the Indian Premier League (IPL) that changed the way we look at sports entertainment or the Pro Kabaddi League which revived a traditional Indian sport and turned it into a mass spectacle. "In music, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa continues to be one of India's longest-running and most loved IPs. Dance India Dance, The Kapil Sharma Show, and IIFA are others that have built enduring brand value over the years," Nayak said. He is confident that with digital platforms, investor confidence, and a growing appetite for original Indian formats, the next decade will belong to homegrown IPs that can scale globally. "The vision is simple. To make India a global powerhouse of original IPs, with ideas born here and celebrated everywhere," Nayak said....