GECs
Celebrity show heralds Zee afternoon band revamp
MUMBAI: Zee TV’s promise to revamp its afternoon band across the week bears fruit with the launch of the first in the series – a weekly celebrity couple chat show Hum Aur Tum. Also in the pipeline is a daily thriller Tamanna House, that will launch on 27 June.
Come 20 June, the flagship channel from the Zee stables will launch Hum Aur Tum, to be anchored by model, actor and pop singer Suchitra Krishnamoorthi. The show, to be aired at 1 pm on Sundays, will have Krishnamoorthi anchoring a non fiction format show on television for the first time. Hum Aur Tum is being produced by the Aditya Birla group company Applause Entertainment.
The ‘young, light and humorous’ chat show, to be sponsored by bharatmatrimony.com, the wedding portal, will feature one celebrity couple every week. According to Applause, what makes the show unique is that most of the chosen couples have never been featured or seen together on the small screen before. While in most cases, the male celebrity is a known face, this show will bring his relatively lesser known and seen spouse to the fore.
The ‘exclusive celebrity’ guests hail from various walks of life, and discuss emotional, interesting and amusing aspects, facets and anecdotes about their relationship, which are not entirely public knowledge. There will also be a trivia-related quiz between the husband and wife to liven up the proceedings.
According to Zee TV president Sunil Khanna, Hum Aur Tum is the first in the series of afternoon shows that will launch on Zee TV in the next couple of months.
Hum Aur Tum is casual, humorous and light-hearted in its tone and mood, and will celebrate the ‘couple of substance’ status of the select guests, says Applause. Tanuj Garg is the creative consultant of the show, which is to be directed by Harshal Kalsekar.
Krishnamoorthi, who returns to celluloid after a sabbatical, will also be seen shortly in a pivotal role in a forthcoming Ram Gopal Varma production featuring Anil Kapoor, say sources.
Hum Aur Tum will be followed by a thriller show, Tamanna House, that will launch on 27 June, says Khanna. Tamanna House, co-produced by Zee with Meteor Films, will feature Ruby Bhatia and Jas Arora, and will be slotted in the Thriller at Ten spot currently on air.
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.
