GECs
Dubbed movie-formula works for Vijay TV in Tamil
MUMBAI: Star’s Tamil channel Vijay TV, which had kicked off its Hollywood movie campaign early this year, says the Jurassic Park series it telecast during June, July and August has helped the channel to steal a march over its competitors, quoting TAM ratings.
During the telecast of Jurassic Park on 27 June at 11:30 am, Vijay TV had 62 per cent of the channel share in the 4+ ABC C&S Chennai market against Raj TV (2 per cent), KTV (14 per cent) and Jaya TV (2.5 per cent). For the Tamil Nadu market, Vijay TV grabbed 51 per cent of the channel share, according to TAM.
The remaining two of the Jurassic Park series – The Lost World (telecast on 25 July) and Jurassic Park 3 (telecast on 29 August) – helped Vijay to garner a channel share of 38 per cent and 48 per cent respectively in the Chennai market (4+ ABC C&S). For the Tamil Nadu market it was 36 and 39 per cent respectively.
The Tamil versions of Titanic and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon had also done a similar trick for Vijay earlier.
Explaining the channel’s decision to adopt the dubbed movie-formula to its programming strategy Vijay TV head of programming Suresh Iyer offers, “Films with non-duplicable content, films which doesn’t have any language or regional barrier, do have phenomenal mass appeal. We used this strategy and it has turned out to be a huge success.”
The channel had conducted an extensive off-air marketing campaign ahead of the Jurassic Park series in the hardcore Tamil speaking markets – Coimbatore and Madhurai. The campaign was conducted in schools where children were briefed about the Jurassic Park series. Vijay TV also ran a watch and win contest among the school children.
“The property is targeted at the whole family with a focus on the kids segment,” says Iyer.
In the on-air promotional campaign front, the channel ran SMS-based contests wherein questions were hurled at viewers during the telecast of the movies. The channel has been using the SMS contest feature for all its major properties.
Vijay TV also telecasts dubbed versions of Hollywood martial arts movies on Saturday nights. In the Hollywood blockbuster series the channel will air Independence Day on 26 September.
It is to be noted that the newly launched Telugu channel Alpha Telugu has also devoted a slot for dubbed Hollywood blockbusters. Tamil channel Jaya TV has also decided to jump into the bandwagon.
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.
