English Entertainment
HBO bags a handful of nominations from the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced nominations for its first ever awards event. The show will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hills Hotel on 5 January on the CBS Television Network. Two 13-member committees – one representing motion pictures and one representing television selected the nominations.
Television awards will be presented in the categories of comedy series, drama series, movies and mini-series. One of the nominees, The West Wing's Allison Janney, will also present. The HBO network bagged several nominations. In the comedy series category it's Curb Your Enthusiasm and Sex and the City with Sarah Jessica Parker go up against CBS's Everybody Loves Raymond and Fox's Malcolm in the Middle.
HBO also dominates the movie or miniseries category with Band of Brothers, Boycott which deals with Martin Luther King and Conspiracy with Kenneth Branagh as SS General Reinhard Heydrich getting in. The lone outsider is ABC's Anne Frank.
HBO's Six Feet Under and The Sopranos got nominated for best drama series along with NBC's The West Wing. In the past the above mentioned series have won Golden Globes as well as SAG.
For best actress in a movie or miniseries ABC takes the honours with three nominations. Among them is Judy Davis (Husbands and Wives) for playing Judy Garland in Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.
Some movies competing for the film of the year are the animated Shrek, the Russell Crowe starrer A Beautiful Mind, the war epic Black Hawk Down from director Ridley Scott (Gladiator), Fox's musical Moulin Rouge and Peter Jackson's spectacular The Fellowship Of The Ring.
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.
