English Entertainment
Diwali: English shows, movies to watch out for
MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year when the entire nation is bedecked with colorful lights. The most exuberant of all Indian festivals is knocking at our doors, and television channels are doing their bit to make it a Happy Diwali for their viewers!
For all those binge-viewers who like staying back home glued to the television, apart from feasting and gifting, the English entertainment and movie channels have dished out an exclusive line up of shows and movies for the festivities.
As the Diwali fireworks light up the night sky, viewers will get to amplify this year’s Diwali bonanza. After perusing the available options on channels like Colors Infinity, Comedy Central, Movies Now, Romedy Now, Sony Pix, Zee Café, Zee Studio and VH1, Indiantelevision.com recommends a few shows that viewers can gape at this festive season.
Colors Infinity
While everyone indulges in some quintessential Diwali rituals of playing cards and eating King-size meals, the channel will air Queen Helena, played by Elizabeth Hurley, along with Princess Eleanor and Prince Liam starrer The Royals. The viewers can binge-watch the season 1 and season 2 on 29 October and 30 October 10:30 am onwards.
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is all set to light up the weekend with an unconventional and amusingly opinionated family of the Carmichaels! The channel will air The Carmichaels Show on 29 and 30 October 4 pm onwards.
Movies Now
The channel plans to showcase special properties this Diwali, called Fireworks and Boom Boom Blast. Fireworks began from 24 October and will air movies at 9 pm. The line-up of movies includes Dracula Untold, Fast Five, 2012, Godzilla, Edge Of Tomorrow & Furious 6.
The other property which started from 3 October ended on 28 October which showcased movies like, Into The Storm, The Darkest Hour, Godzilla, Spiderman 2 and Olympus Has Fallen.
Romedy Now
The channel is set to broadcast a new property called Diwali Delights. In this property, popular titled like, The Duff, What if, We’re the Millers, About Time, A Little Bit of Heaven, Blended, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Endless Love, Begin Again, Cuban Fury, etc will be aired from 24 October to 4 November every Monday to Friday at 11 pm.
Sony Pix
The channel will air Pitch Perfect 2 at 12:59 pm followed by the Lone Ranger at 3:13 pm. Battleship will be aired at 6:12 pm, followed by Pitch Perfect 2 at 8:59 pm. King Kong will telecast at 11:24 pm.
Zee Café
The channel will usher into the festivities by 12 am with The Whispers show till 4:45 am followed by America’s Got Talent till 6:15 am. Post that, an hour of Just for Laughs followed by Lethal Weapon up to 9 am. The Big Bang Theory will air till 9:30 am leading to back-to-back episodes of Mysteries of Laura till 12 pm. Pretty Little Liars will air till 6 pm followed by Lethal Weapon and The Big Bang Theory. The channel will air The Shannara Chronicles at 8pm, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders at 9 pm, Code Black at 10 pm, The Real O’Neals at 11 pm and Two & a Half Men at 11:30 pm.
Zee Studio
Zee Studio is all set to air Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on 30 October at 4:20 pm followed by The Expendables 2 at 7 pm. The Amazing Spiderman 2 will air at 9 pm whereas Transformers: Age of Extinction will telecast at 11:50 pm.
Vh1
Celebrate this Diwali with the Vh1 One in a Billion– Diwali Special. Viewers can watch some of the best music videos that have achieved the milestone of having over a billion views in the digital world. The property will telecast on 31 October at 12 pm and 8 pm.
English Entertainment
ZEE5 UK partners Narrative Entertainment to add UK channels
Six FAST channels added as platform sharpens hybrid play in Britain
LONDON: ZEE5 UK struck a first-of-its-kind deal with Narrative Entertainment, bringing mainstream UK television channels onto an Indian streaming platform as it pushes to deepen its footprint in a crowded, mature market.
The partnership adds six of Narrative’s FAST channels to the service, including Great! Movies, Great! Romance, Great! Mystery and kids brands POP, Tiny Pop and POP UP, widening ZEE5 UK’s appeal across genres and age groups.
The move reflects a clear shift in strategy. ZEE5 UK is betting on a hybrid model that blends on-demand content with curated, always-on channels to drive discovery and increase time spent on the platform.
“This partnership represents a meaningful evolution in how we serve audiences in mature markets like the UK, where viewers are defined by habits, convenience and choice rather than geography or language alone,” said Parul Goel, territory head, Europe, Zee Entertainment. “By bringing trusted mainstream UK channels together with our premium originals, movies and kids’ content, we are building a more consumer-centric platform that simplifies viewing while increasing depth and relevance.”
Fateha Begum, commercial director, Narrative Entertainment, said the tie-up would fuel growth for both sides. “Our portfolio of quality programming, with such wide and enduring appeal, is a perfect complement to ZEE5 UK. This is a strong partnership that will support growth for both parties, and we share Zee Entertainment’s vision of an increasingly partnership-led future for the industry.”
ZEE5’s global library spans over 4,000 films and more than 500 originals, with over 130 new titles added annually. The addition of Narrative’s channels strengthens its kids offering and introduces genre-led linear experiences alongside its on-demand catalogue.
The deal also gives Narrative access to ZEE5 UK’s fast-growing user base, extending reach without diluting brand identity, while reinforcing ZEE5 UK’s network of more than 40 live channels.
As streaming wars intensify, ZEE5 UK is widening its playbook, blending content, convenience and partnerships in a bid to win screen time in one of the world’s toughest markets.
