Movie Channels
Bombay HC restraints 2 TV channels from broadcasting Zeel-owned films
KOLKATA: In the month of July 2020, media giant, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) moved the Bombay high court to restrain television channels Maha Movie and Manoranjan TV from broadcasting its films namely Jung (1996) and Kartavya (1979) without obtaining a license from ZEEL for the same. The court passed an order asking them to suspend future broadcasting of the movies in any form or through any medium.
Maha Movie is a television channel owned by Teleone Consumer Products Pvt Ltd and Manoranjan TV is a television channel owned by Creative Channel Advertising and Marketing Pvt Ltd.
The matter was heard by justice KR Shriram on 16 July 2020 where ZEEL submitted that in the end of June 2020, it learnt that the Teleone Consumer Products Pvt Ltd and Creative Channel Advertising and Marketing Pvt Ltd were broadcasting both the films on their respective television channels without authorisation from ZEEL. Upon collecting data from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), ZEEL learnt that Jung has been broadcasted thirty-seven times and Kartavya thirty-two times on Maha Movie and Jung has been broadcasted forty-two times and Kartavya nine times on Manoranjan TV till 2 July 2020.
The court held that unauthorised broadcast/exploitation of the suit films on the said TV channels is a violation of the copyright vested in ZEEL. It also added that it was restraining the channels from creating, alienating and/or transferring any rights in Jung to a third party.
By and under a Film Assignment Agreement executed between Soham Rockstar Entertainment and Zeel, the latter acquired exclusive linear rights, on-demand rights, local cable distribution rights, catch up TV rights, syndication rights, editing rights, promotion rights, air borne rights,
surface transport rights, commercial establishment rights, dubbing rights, subtitling rights, Doordarshan rights, home video rights, subtitling rights in all languages of the world including Indian languages, and non-exclusive performance rights, merchandising rights, dubbing rights and clip rights in a total of sixty-four films, including the Jung and Kartavya, for a term of 10 years commencing from 19 July 2017 in respect of linear rights, home video rights, local cable distribution rights, subtitling and dubbing rights for Jung; 1st October 2016 in respect of on-demand rights for Jung and Kartavya; 15th September 2016 in respect of home video rights and
local cable distribution rights for Kartavya, for the entire world, including India and overseas territories.
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.
