Movie Channels
HBO dominates 55th Emmy awards nominations
LOS ANGELES: The darkly amusing drama Six Feet Under and its parent network HBO, dominated television’s Emmy Award nominations.
The 55th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on 21 September 2003. HBO scored 109 nominations to lead second-place NBC, which had 77. CBS is in third spot with 59 nominations.
The domination by HBO explains why the network was so keen to gain exclusive TV rights to the event last year. The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences however rejected the bid for fear of antagonising the big four American networks – ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. In the US, the show will air on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox.
A Reuters report states that Six Feet Under earned 16 nominations in total, including one for best TV drama where it faces tough competition from three-time winner, White House show The West Wing, mafia drama The Sopranos, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the Keifer Sutherland thriller 24. In India, the first three shows air on Zee English while the last two air on action oriented AXN.
The cast of 24
CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond (airs in India on Star World) and HBO’s Sex and the City (not yet debuted in India) shared honours as the most-nominated comedies, landing in 13 groups each, including best comedy. They are joined in that category by last year’s winner, Friends (airs in India on Zee English and Star World) and Will & Grace (airs on Zee English). In the US, they air on NBC.
The report indicates that the nominees mirrored the choices of last year. One of the few surprises was the absence of NBC’s Law and Order from the drama category, where a nomination would have marked a record 12 straight. In India, the show airs on Star World.
The competition in the best dramatic actor group is difficult as expected. They are 2002 winner Michael Chiklis playing a corrupt cop in The Shield, James Gandolfini for The Sopranos, Martin Sheen in The West Wing, Peter Krause for Six Feet Under and Kiefer Sutherland in 24.
HBO chairman Chris Albrecht has been quoted in another report saying: ”Our plan isn’t to go out and get Emmys. It’s our plan to do interesting and provocative work.”
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.
