Movie Channels
HBO lays claim to number one English movie channel status
MUMBAI: The war in the English movie channel arena is heating up. HBO, positioning itself as the world’s greatest Hollywood movie channel, claims to have emerged as the number one English movie channel this year.
Quoting Tam data for the period September 2003 -August 2004 sec A,B,C 15-44 it stated that it had seven of the top ten rated English films. Spiderman was the highest with a rating of 1.95. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9pm to midnight it had the highest share of 1.08 per cent, maximum reach at 62.37 per cent. In addition people spent 48 minutes on HBO each weekend, which was more than archrival Star Movies.
Addressing a media gathering this afternoon HBO Asia CEO Jonathan Spink said, “HBO’s Big Ones rated higher than Star Movies’ ‘Satruday Night Premieres’. What is more is that in the primetime time arena from 9pm to midnight on all days HBO also emerged as a leader among English general entertainment channels.
“No wonder the competition (Star Movies) is copying our formula by launching the Big Two. The graphics and packaging even look the same. It takes two of their products to match one of ours. What is next? The big Three, Four, Five? Let us just leave it at that.”
While conceding that other films that aired in the Big One block like Men In Black II did not manage to match Spiderman’s impressive ratings Spink maintained that this was natural as the English film business is title driven.
“We are very excited about another huge franchise The Lord of The Rings. The first installment in the trilogy The Fellowship Of The Ring will air in the last quarter. However it is not just the action-oriented fare that is doing well. The family film Stuart Little 2 was the third highest rated English film this year.”
For the Diwali season where all channels try to put their best foot forward HBO will air the caper film Ocean’s Eleven. George Cloonety and Brad Pitt are among a gang of thieves that try and rob a Las Vegas casino owned by Andy Garcia. Another big film that will bow on the channel is Charlies Angels:Full Throttle. This sees Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore returning in the roles of the super spy trio.
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.
