Movie Channels
Oberoi Films wins ‘Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi’ rights legal battle
That’s Life! It took all of 14 years of litigation for the rights of the popular eighties comedy Yeh Joi Hai Zindagi to finally land with the creator of the TV programme – the late filmmaker S.S. Oberoi.
And the irony of it all is that quite a few people associated with the serial are no more: Shafi Inamdar (who plays the harangued but loved and loving husband of the beautiful Swaroop Sampat), writer Sharad Joshi and Oberoi himself.
The series – which ran successfully on DD National in 1984-85 – was sponsored by toothpaste maker Vicco Laboratories (owned by the Nagpur-based Pendharkar family which makes Vicco Vajradanti and Turmeric cream) for all of 52-54 episodes.
Thereafter DD increased the rates it was charging for the time slot, and the Pendharkars decided they could not continue with the sponsorship. Oberoi, who had made successful commercials for Vicco and Nirma, then approached Brooke Bond for a sponsorship and got its backing. The series continued for another 13-15 episodes before it was pulled off when the Vicco promoters said they owned the rights to it as they were the sponsors.
They took the matter to the City civil court in Mumbai in 1986 which turned down its plea. Vicco then approached the Mumbai high court in 1990, which once again ruled in Oberoi’s favour in 1998. Vicco finally went to The Supreme Court in 2000, which also dismissed its special leave petition seeking ownership of Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi on 13 August 2001.
“There were no contracts signed; no one knew anything about copyright then,” says Ujwala Oberoi, Oberoi’s daughter. “The Supreme Court ruling is a vindication that the ownership of a creative product lies with the person who creates it.”
The rib-tickling series featured other actors like Satish Shah, Rakesh Bedi and Tikku Talsania drew nearly 93 per cent viewership in 1984-85.
Ujwala says that the series has since been upgraded to digi beta format (it was shot on low band) since then and quite a few channels have evinced interest in buying up the rights. Well, that’s life once again.
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.
