Movie Channels
HBO launches second season of ‘Sex and the City’
MUMBAI: Movie channel HBO is back with its popular adult lifestyle comedy Sex and the City.
The second season of the series launches 18 June at 11:45 pm and will air every Friday after the prime time movie.
Talking to indiantelevision.com, HBO country manager South Asia Shruti Bajpai said the second season would bring a more sophisticated version of the show and would deal with issues like, “the so-called rules of breaking up”, “is cheating allowed in a relationship”, “is single-hood a curse”, et al.
Elaborating on what the show had done for the channel, Bajpai said the show had boosted HBO’s profile. According to her, Sex And The City as a series has gone places where no other network had ever ventured.
“It’s a high profile series with a cult following that has been well received globally. Having been well received by both sponsors and viewers for both it’s premiere and encore telecasts, we are naturally excited to bring brand new seasons of India’s hottest and sexiest series back again,” said Bajpai.
Ahead of the launch, HBO will be unleashing a promotional campaign including ground activities, a book promotion around Candace Bushnell’s book called Sex And The City, and special Sex And The City theme parties. Samsung, Hyundai Elantra, Mountain Dew, SAB Castle and Nokia will be co-sponsoring the second season of Sex and the City, informed Bajpai.
Bajpai pointed out that the Tam figures had credited the first season of the show as the highest rated English serial at the time of its launch in India last year.
“It had also out-beaten Star Movies’ Taken which was launched around the same time. Sex And The City got an overall average rating of 0.22 Vs Taken with a rating of 0.12,” she said.
Created and executive produced by Darren Star and based on Candace Bushnell’s best selling book of the same name, HBO’s highest-profile and most popular signature series, Sex And The City takes a candid, comic and tongue-in-cheek view of the ups and downs, triumphs and turmoil, friendships and relationships in life, through the eyes and experiences of the lead protagonist, the Manhattan Newspaper columnist Carrie Bradshaw.
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.
