GECs
&TV gets brand refresh; ad inventories sold out for new shows
MUMBAI: Zee took a bold step when it decided to launch channels under a different brand name ‘&’ five years ago. The bet worked and the brand lived. Now, &TV, the GEC, is undergoing a brand refresh with a new lineup of shows as well.
In 2015, &TV was launched with the philosophy 'Jashn Jeene Ka' – celebrating the spirit of life. Now, the channel is bringing up yet another thought ‘Hai Khaas Har Andaaz’, created by Lowe Lintas that premieres this weekend, breaking first on its new live singing reality show for kids Love Me India at 9 pm. &TV has two more shows in the bouquet named Perfect Pati and Vikram and Betaal.
ZEEL CEO Punit Misra said, “We believe &TV, the youngest GEC in the ZEEL portfolio, is best suited to cater to &dians – the multifaceted, progressive, young urban viewers who want to be more. With our unique brand point-of-view led content creation approach, the &TV team has crafted stories and characters that &dians will fall in love with.”
Apart from its flagship show Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain, that helped the channel gain immense traction from the viewers, it didn’t shy away from going against the tide and introducing a 100kg bahu on television with Badho Bahu or presenting kanha and radha differently. It pushed the envelope further by introducing supernatural-romance in Laal Ishq.
Commenting on the advertisers’ growth since its launch, ZEEL CMO Pratyusha Agarwal said that the growth has been phenomenal and ad inventories are already sold out for the upcoming shows. “Since the past three years, advertisers have grown up to 55 per cent,” she added.
&TV head Vishnu Shankar has been associated with Zee for more than seven years now. He started working with Zee in February 2010 as the programming head of Zing, Zee ETC and Zee Trendz. A year ago he filled Rajesh Iyer’s shoes with a vision to scale-up the cluster’s growth in a bid to entertain audiences. He said, “In the last three years, we have created many marquee properties and the channel had a good 4.5 per cent market share and now we have 7.8 per cent market share.”
We will soon get to see if the change will pay off.
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.
