Movie Channels
Producers Guild of India re-elects Shibasish Sarkar as president
MUMBAI: When the Producers Guild of India met for its sixty ninth annual general meeting on 27 September, one of the jobs on hand was to elect a president for the coming year. And guess who did they turn to once again? The publicity shy and reticent Shibasish Sarkar who is also the group CEO of Reliance Entertainment. This will be his third consecutive term at the leadership role in the guild.
Other members who have been re-elected include Manish Goswami, Madhu Bhojwani, Aashish Singh, Dipti Kotak and Ankur Garg as vice presidents, along with Ashim Samanta and Fazila Allana as treasurers.
“I am honoured and humbled by the confidence my peers have reposed in me by re-electing me as president of the guild for the third year,” said Sarkar. “I look forward to our members’ continued counsel and support, which lies at the heart of all that the guild strives to achieve.”
The guild is India’s leading organisation for film, television and digital content, representing top producers. The body plays a key role in the development of entertainment production, and it works closely with stakeholders and the Indian government to address regulatory challenges, policy matters, copyright protection, taxation, and ease of filming, among other things.
Overall, its focus is more on Indian cinema as compared to the Indian Film & Television Producers Council which places a greater emphasis on television. The guild has Nitin Sethi as its CEO.
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.
