GECs
Amitabh effect: ‘KBC 2’ to air twice a week
MUMBAI: Star India has re-scheduled its popular gameshow Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 (KBC 2) following superstar Amitabh Bachchan’s sudden illness and his subsequent absence from work.
With effect from 2 December, the Bachchan-anchored show on Star Plus will be aired on Friday and Saturday instead of the original thrice a week (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) schedule.
A similar change has been brought in by Star India’s Tamil channel Vijay TV, which telecasts the Tamil version of KBC 2.
“As an endeavour to provide our viewers fresh episodes of KBC 2, the gameshow has been re-scheduled to two-days a week for an interim period. As per the new plan, KBC 2 will run un-affected till mid-January,” Star India vice-president, marketing and communications, Puneet Johar told indiantelevision.com.
With the rescheduling, Star India intends to keep the show ticking with the pre-recorded episodes till Bachchan recovers. Including the 2 December episode (the 52nd episode), Star Plus has already shot 63 episodes out of the overall 85 episodes committed by Bachchan.
This bank would have allowed Star Plus to run the gameshow only till 23 December as per the thrice-a- week schedule. But, by shrinking the schedule to twice a week, the channel is in a position to continue it till 7 January.
As per the revised schedule, the Sunday 9-10 pm slot will be taken over by the spiritual soap Sai Baba which originally airs in the Sunday 8:00 pm slot.
According to Johar, Sunday movie will fill the 8 pm slot. Vijay TV will telecast the spoof The Best of Lollu Sabha on Sunday, 4 December. A channel spokesperson said that there might be a different programme on 11 December.
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.
