English Entertainment
‘Desperate Housewives’ continues to blow the TV ratings roof off
MUMBAI: If there is one truism about American television it is that a lot of the time, if a show has done well in its debut season, chances are that viewers will flock in droves for more.
Such is the case with ABC’s Desperate Housewives. The first episode of the second season aired a few nights ago. The show attracted more than 28 million viewers. In India the show airs on Star World.
The episode of Lost saw 23.5 million viewers tuning in. This meant that ABC got its best first-week performance of a new TV season in five years. It was the first time since 1995 that ABC won the first week among the 18-to-49-year-old demographic most important to advertisers, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The network got five out of the top 10 programmes for the opening week of the new TV season. The hospital soap Grey’s Anatomy saw 19 million viewers tuning in. Invasion saw 16.4 million viewers watching and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition was able to attract 16.4 million viewers. While Desperate Housewives’ performance was excellent it was below the 30.3 million figure that the final episode of the first season got for ABC.
It is CBS that is still the number one network. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation got 29 million viewers. However the overall first-week ratings were down seven per cent which has been attributed by observers to the absence of the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond. For the opening week 19-25 September 2005, CBS averaged 12.9 million viewers, ABC had 12.3 million, NBC 9.9 million, Fox 6.5 million
NBC as the figures show is in third spot and reports indicate that the business based reality show The Apprentice is slipping as is the sitcom Joey. NBC would have been last were it not for the fact that American Idol has not yet started airing on Fox. Martha Stewart’s version of The Apprentice managed only a little more than seven million viewers.
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.
