English Entertainment
AXN takes the Xtreme route in bonding India and Pakistan
MUMBAI: AXN’s major ground initiative for last year involved an India Pakistan Xtreme challenge. The aim was to pit a team of Indians against a team from Pakistan in a series of mental and physical tests.
The initiative had kicked off with the preliminary rounds in five cities from August. The finale was held in Taiwan. Now the broadcaster will air the five episode event every Sunday at 8:30 pm from 23 January with repeats every Tuesday at 9 pm.
Viewers will see contestants crawling on hands and feet through muck, tightening a nut and bolt inside a box filled with over 1000 cockroaches. They will also participate in a stress test.
The two teams had four participants each. Assistant VP AXN and Animax India marketing and sales Rohit Bhandari said, “To avoid giving any sort of home advantage to the participants, we had decided to do the Xtreme Challenge at a neutral venue. Hence the selected finalists were taken to Taiwan.
“This is the biggest programming and production effort ever undertaken by AXN. We had an overwhelming participation for AXN Xtreme: India vs. Pakistan and massive support from viewers and advertisers alike.”
As in similar action-adventure events – Extreme Dhamaka and Who Dares Wins the challenges were revealed to the participants only on the event day to retain the element of surprise, to stimulate creativity given the limitations, and most importantly, to have a level playing field. This way none of the teams were disadvantaged prior to the start of the event.
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.
