Movie Channels
4 action flicks to air on AXN in October
MUMBAI: Get ready for some slick action! The action and adventure channel AXN, post the Hot ‘n Wild hungama, is gearing up to launch four new shows.
Specials like NBC’s Boomtown and Michael Chiklis’ starrer The Shield have been slated for release in October along with the second season of CSI , debuting as CSI Miami and the second season of Alias .
The recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award for Excellence in Broadcasting 2003, Boomtown has been ranked number one in the The Best of 2002 TV listing. Essentially a crime drama, the show analyses one crime from the eyes of different people who play a part in unfolding the crime.
Speaking about Boomtown, AXN’s assistant vice president, marketing and sales, Rohit Bhandari was quoted in a press release, “It is a slickly shot drama. With espionage drama 24 and CSI, we had a strong drama band created. In Boomtown, a bunch of seven people, each from a different walk of life, two world-weary Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) cops, an ambitious District Attorney, the hope-giving paramedic and the nervy newspaper beat reporter. Each of the characters recounts the incident as he or she sees it.”
The drama stars Donnie Wahlberg, Jason Gedrick, Neal McDonough and Lana Parilla and is directed by Emmy winner Graham Yost and Jon Avnet.
The next launch in the pipeline The Shield stars Emmy award recipient Chiklis as Detective Vic Mackey.
The company release says, this American Fox production, tells the story of Mackey who commands a group special of the police station in Farmington, Los Angeles. It is a story about honest policemen who try to unmask the corrupt team.
Winner of two Emmys for art direction and cinematography, People Choice award winner for the new dramatic series and a Golden Globe winner for best performer by an actor Alias will be back on the channel.
Jennifer Garner reprises her role as young female spy Sydney Bristow who’s out to expose a rogue organisation within the agency. The show also stars Victor Garber, Ron Rifkin, Michael Vartan and Bradley Cooper
With AXN’s action plan to maintain and increase channel share, Alias will be planning to help build up viewer loyalty.
Bristow possessing a useful knowledge in martial arts and high-tech wizardry, she also speaks foreign languages. When she discovers that she is working for a rogue spy agency with an anti-government agenda, Bristow volunteers her services to the CIA as a double-agent to expose and ruin SD-6 Operations, the release informs.
Last on the agenda for new launches is CSI Miami, the second season of CSI. Starring NYPD alumni David Caruso and Kim Delaney, the show has garnered highest rating of any network drama premiere in the US. Winner of 2003 People’s Choice award for the favourite television new dramatic series, CSI Miami is directed by the same producers.
Movie Channels
Zee5 launches five free FAST channels on Samsung TV Plus India
New genre-led channels bring comedy, drama, horror, classics and South films to Smart TVs.
MUMBAI: Zee5 just turned Samsung Smart TVs into a free entertainment buffet because when premium content costs nothing, even the remote control starts smiling. Zee5 has launched five curated free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus India, making high-quality, genre-specific entertainment available subscription-free to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners across the country.
The five channels now live are:
Zee Comedy Nation – Popular comedy shows and movies
Zee Dil Se – Compelling drama series
ZEE Horror Nights – Horror and supernatural content
ZEE Cine Classic – Timeless Indian films
ZEE South Flix – High-energy South Indian films dubbed in Hindi
All content is drawn from Zee5’s extensive library and programmed in a lean-back, always-on format ideal for large-screen viewing. This launch strengthens Zee5’s Connected TV strategy at a time when 64 per cent of its premium content watch time already comes from connected devices.
Zee5 chief business officer Siju Prabhakaran said, “At Zee5, we believe accessibility and scale will define the next phase of digital entertainment growth in India. Our presence on Samsung TV Plus strengthens our Connected TV strategy, enabling viewers to discover curated, genre-led content in a seamless, free, and premium environment.”
Samsung TV Plus India head of partnerships Kunal Mehta added, “Local partnerships are at the heart of how we grow Samsung TV Plus in India. Zee Entertainment is one of India’s most iconic media brands, and bringing their channels to our service means millions more Samsung Smart TV owners can enjoy premium local content, subscription-free.”
The channels are available directly through the pre-installed Samsung TV Plus app with no login or subscription required. This marks another milestone in Zee5’s CTV expansion and builds on its growing international presence, with Zee channels already available on Samsung TV Plus across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
In a streaming world where paywalls often block the fun, Zee5 and Samsung have quietly opened the gates, proving that sometimes the best things in life (and on your TV) really are free especially when they come with a side of comedy, drama, horror, classics and South Indian blockbuster energy.
