Movie Channels
‘Eco-Challenge Fiji’ and ‘Fear Factor III’ on AXN
MUMBAI : AXN , the niche English entertainment channel has added the latest season of Fear Factor and Eco Challenge -Fiji to its action-adventure reality programming.
Eco-Challenge Fiji has David Duchovny, Fox Mulder of The X Files fame, as the narrator for the first five episode series while Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, races in Team Kodak Watersport alongside his brother and sister. Also, the glamorous teams – Team Smirnoff Ice Playboy X-treme, comprising 3 former Playmate beauties, make a comeback in the series, states an official release.
The Eco-Challenge series, winner of three Emmy awards has been created by award-winning producer Mark Burnett.
The Eco-Challenge adventure race consists of teams of four , comprising both men and women, who are required to race with very little food and even less sleep for up to 12 days non-stop over a distance of 500km; and are tested in a variety of physical disciplines such as mountain biking, swimming, kayaking and rope works, the release informs. Apart from physical strength and stamina, good teamwork is also essential as the entire team is disqualified if it loses a member due to illness, fatigue, injury or disagreement.
“Fear Factor and Eco Challenge have evoked a tremendous amount of buzz from viewers all over India and across Asia, and the action-packed scenes have become staples of water-cooler conversations. This time, the intensity of the challenges, the human drama – and most importantly, the will of the human spirit to overcome its limitations – have increased, and we are sure the new episodes will be more popular with viewers,” Set (I) Pvt. Ltd., assistant V-P, marketing and sales, Rohit Bhandari is quoted as having said in the release.
The third season of Fear Factor will take the dares one step further with more challenging ventures into the unknown as participants pit their mettle against one another, all in the hope of taking home the grand prize of US$50,000, the release adds.
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.
