Movie Channels
HBO signs for SingTel’s disaster recovery service
SINGAPORE: Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) which claims to be Asia’s leading communications and satellite service provider has announced that it has been appointed by HBO Asia as the broadcaster’s disaster recovery service provider.
An official release informs that HBO Asia has an impressive track record in the broadcast industry as a leader in technological advancement. HBO Asia is the first broadcaster in Asia to have an off-site back-up of its entire operations as part of its proactive crisis management strategy, using SingTel’s latest Disaster Recovery Service.
SingTel provides a shared facility to its customers, which is operated out of SingTel’s Bukit Timah Satellite Earth Station. This station is interlinked to three other SingTel satellite earth stations to provide diversity and utmost service reliability. With its 24×7 engineering specialists, the customers can realise their fail-safe plans at a fraction of the cost of setting up their own disaster recovery system.
The release states that with SingTel’s service, satellite broadcasters can look forward to cost savings as they do not need to invest in costly equipment or duplicate their facilities. They can also customise their disaster recovery service according to their needs, such as commercial insertion, playout operational support and flexibility of input feeds.
SingTel’s VP (Regional Satellite Business) Tay Chek Khoon said: “Our disaster recovery service offers our customers an alternative operating site should anything untoward happen to their broadcast studio and facilities. Their programmes will be back on air in the shortest time possible and, hence, minimal disruption to the viewers.”
Meanwhile, HBO Asia also signed up for co-location and network services through SingTel’s managed hosting services, SXPAN. With 12 data centres across Asia-Pacific, SXPAN services include provision of hosting services, Internet bandwidth, IT related operations and storage facilities.
SXPAN can also support enterprises’ disaster recovery and business continuity plans ranging from site diversity, bandwidth connectivity and data storage to workroom recovery.
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.
