GECs
Zee Telefilms to be named Zee Entertainment Enterprises; ASC Enterprises becomes Dish TV
MUMBAI: One part of the process set in motion late last month by the Subhash Chandra promoted Zee Telefilms board to split its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations, broadcast & content creation, and Siti Cable — has been completed with the nomenclature of the new entities finalised.
Zee Telefilms will henceforth be named as Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (Zeel). Included under its ambit are flagship Zee TV, Zee Cinema, Zee Cafe, Zee Studio, Zee Trendz, Zee Sports and Zee Smile.
On the other hand, ASC Enterprises Ltd, under which comes the group’s direct-to-home (DTH) businesses, will now be renamed as Dish TV Ltd. ASC Enterprise’s DTH service is marketed under the brand name Dish TV.
Last month, the company’s board had approved of splitting of its broadcasting business into three entities — news operations, broadcast and content creation, and Siti Cable.
There is no change of name for the news operations company which remains Zee News Ltd. Under Zee News comes not just the news channels but the regional channels as well.
The reason for including the regional channels into Zee News Ltd is because of the heavy news component that forms an intrinsic part of all these channels. It was in order to comply with the news uplinking guidelines that effective October 2005, newsgathering activities of ZTL were transferred to Zee News Limited.
The news channels include Zee News, Zee Biz and the recently launched Bangla news channel Chobbees Ghanta. The regional channels are Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Punjabi, Zee Gujarati, with the newest addition being Zee Telugu. Expected to launch next month is the sixth regional channel in the stable Zee Kannada.
As regards the restructuring on the cable side, it has already been announced that the cable business of Siti Cable, a 100 per cent subsidiary of ZTL (now Zeel), and the cable related business of ZTL would be de-merged into Wire and Wireless (India) Limited (WWIL), a new company incorporated for the purpose.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
