GECs
Oprah still America’s number 1 TV personality
MUMBAI: The queen of the talk show genre, Oprah Winfrey, retained her title this year as America’s favourite TV personality.
The information is contained in a Harris Intreactive poll. David Letterman took second place this year, followed by Bill O’Reilly, comedian Ray Romano and Jay Leno.
In India, The Oprah Winfrey Show airs weekday mornings on Star World. Dr Phil McGraw and Daily Show host Jon Stewart were tied for sixth place. In India, Jon’s show can be seen on CNN, Sunday nights. William Petersen, of the drama series CSI (airs on AXN) came in eighth while Whoopi Goldberg finished ninth. An AP report adds that Friends star Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres and Martin Sheen tied for tenth place.
The Harris Poll was conducted online. 2,376 American adults participated in the poll which took place from 17-23 November. Meanwhile a few days ago, Harris had announced that Mel Gibson was America’s favourite movie star.
Tom Hanks who was number one last year, slipped to the fourth spot. America’s sweetheart Julia Roberts is at number two and everyone’s favourite knight Sir Sean Connery is number three. The one star that is no longer alive but is on the list is John Wayne.
Interestingly, of all the top ten stars, Johnny Depp is the only one to have had a major hit this year with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Tom Cruise did receive a Golden Globe nomination for The Last Samurai but the film did not exactly set the box office on fire.
Mel Gibson is number one among women. Julia Roberts is preferred by people aged 18-29. This demographic is very important to the movie industry as they go to the movies much more often than their elders. Not surprisingly, the African-American community went for Denzel Washington.
GECs
Samsung TV Plus launches Kings of Comedy channel
New free FAST channel brings iconic Hindi comedy shows to millions of Samsung Smart TV owners.
MUMBAI: Samsung TV Plus has just turned up the laughter volume and it’s completely free. The leading free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in India has launched Kings of Comedy, a premium comedy channel featuring some of the country’s most beloved primetime shows. Available exclusively on Samsung TV Plus, the channel delivers back-to-back hits including Comedy Nights with Kapil, Khatra Khatra Khatra, and Comedy Nights Bachao, with no login or subscription required.
The launch marks a milestone for free streaming in India, offering audiences a dedicated comedy destination directly from their Samsung TV home screen. It arrives as Samsung TV Plus India celebrates its 5th anniversary, during which the service has grown its monthly active users by 42 per cent and more than doubled its total viewing hours. The platform now offers over 180 free channels across 14 languages.
Samsung TV Plus India general manager and head of business development Kunal Mehta said, “Comedy is the heartbeat of Hindi entertainment, and Kings of Comedy brings together the shows Indians already love, completely free on their Samsung TV. Our focus remains the same take the content people know and make it effortless to access.”
Globally, Samsung TV Plus has surpassed 100 million monthly active users across more than 4,500 channels, solidifying its position as one of the world’s leading free streaming services.
Kings of Comedy is now available on all compatible Samsung Smart TVs. For viewers seeking non-stop laughter without any cost, this new channel delivers a royal treat proving that sometimes the best entertainment really does come with no strings (or subscriptions) attached.
