Movie Channels
HBO to beam movies dubbed in Hindi
NEW DELHI: As images of resurrected mummies, bare chested men and scorpions flit across the screen, Egyptians and English-looking persons mouth lines like “Kyunki pyaar hai sada ke liye” (because love is forever) and “Pyaar ki seema nahin hain” (there are no boundaries for love).
Soon these images, part of a specially created promotional campaign in Hindi language, would be seen in non-English print medium products, outdoors and also channels like MTV, Sony and Cartoon Network heralding the fact that HBO’s going partly desi.
The premier English movie channel will soon start airing English movies dubbed in Hindi and starting 25 April, HBO will kickstart the series with Mummy to be followed by Mummy Returns and Scorpion King over the next two weeks.
Pointing out that the new initiative, of airing movies dubbed in Hindi, will be implemented only in India, and is meant as a gesture of gratitude towards Indian viewers, HBO India head Shruti Bajpai told a press conference here today, “The dubbed movies should not be seen as a regular fixture. This is
our way of saying ‘thank you Indian viewers’ who have given us a thumbs up signal making HBO a better rated channel amongst film and some English channels.”
HBO is also taking it’s the Big One initiative forward by bringing over 50 top Hollywood movies during the summer months, which has been unveiled with a new tag line ‘Summer is HBO’ for Indian English movie lovers.
Bajpai also indicated that the channel is not looking at turning the dubbed English flicks as revenue generators, though the response from advertisers is “positive.”
The HBO special programming extravaganza, starting April till June, includes an exhilarating line-up of blockbuster movies, award-winning series and HBO original films (including Mira Nair’s Hysterical Blindness).
According to Bajpai, ‘Summer is HBO’ is a specially created destination comprising tailored entertainment offerings that cater to different tastes of Indian viewers. With the colossal annual offering ‘HBO Summer Action Marathon’, two big ones
that include Men In Black II, 30 episodes of world-wide cult HBO Original series Sex And The City, nine huge Saturday and Sunday night blockbusters, five popular movies as part of HBO Sizzling Nights and four blockbusters as part of HBO Kids Summer Action, there is certainly something for everyone, it seems.
In May as part of the HBO Saturday Nights at 9 pm and Superstar Sundays at 8 pm, HBO would air the action packed sci-fi blockbuster The One, starring Jet Li. Other blockbusters include America’s Sweethearts’, starring John Cusack, Oscar winners Julia Roberts and Catherine Zeta-Jones, American Outlaws, Rollerball, The Astronaut’s Wife starring Charlize Theron, Legend Of The Red Dragon, and the martial
arts expert turned Hollywood superstar Steven Seagal’s The Glimmer Man.
The HBO Original Movies this summer include an intimate, character-driven, Emmy Award winning drama, Hysterical Blindness. This Mira Nair (of Monsoon Wedding fame) – directed flick stars Uma Thurman.
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.
