English Entertainment
AXN launching 12 new shows over next four months
Some heavy duty action on the programming front is what the Sony group’s AXN channel has lined up for its viewers with a slew of new shows set to debut over the next four months.
Covering essentially action series and reality programmes, 12 new programmes will be launched in the new year, AXN managing director Todd Miller said today.
AXN, which is currently in the middle of a major promotion around the Asiawide premiere of the multi-award winning blockbuster movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” on 29 December, will be launching three new reality shows in February, Miller revealed. These would be launched almost immediately after the two reality shows currently airing on the channel – “Survivor” and “Amazing Race” – complete their run in January. Elaborating on one of the shows which will be screening on AXN, Miller said “Fear Factor” (it aired on the NBC network) was the biggest show of the summer of 2001 on US television. Miller would not provide details of the other two shows. He added, again without giving details, that two new action series would also be premiered every month over the coming four months.
The channel, which concentrated on popularising two programming genres in the first year of its operations – action movies and action series, now has five programming franchises including action adventure-reality, action sports and adventure and action animation. Of these action movies, action series and action adventure-reality constituted AXN’s principal programming pillars for AXN India, Miller said. Although action animation is not such a big franchise in India it is huge in the Far East, he added.
Queried as to when the channel expected to reach break even status, Miller said he was looking at 2004 or 2005.
On the distribution front, he said the channel currently reached 21.6 million homes, up from 18 million in May with the figure across Asia being 31.5 million.
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.
